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SEE PAGE 706
'O-sJ^P*'
*
- £n *
DECEMBER, 1938
VOLUME 41 NUMBER 12
RETURN POSTAGE GUARftNTFED
SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH
" Golden Shell ! " I scream
"Go there yourself!" he splutters
Mr. Bruggle can't hardly hear it
thunder.
But I didn't know that, the first
time he drives in. I flash my "wel-
come" smile and he says, "Check
the oil."
"You're low," I report, in a min-
ute.
"Then I don't need any," he
answers.
''No, no"— I shout— "It's way
down!"
"Who's a clown?" he frowns
back at me.
I sail on, louder, while people
passing by stop to listen.
"It's not only low, but you need
oil that flows fast. When you start
your engine, if your oil is sluggish,
it don't get up out of the crank -
case — "
"I am NOT cranky!" he shouts,
mad by now.
I struggle on: "Look, you only
have to pay 25^ for a quart of
Golden Shell Oil— GOLDEN
SHELL," I scream.
"You go there yourself," he
splutters, and drives off.
That's how I got in bad with
Mr. Bruggle and had to write him
a letter to explain things. I got a
chance to tell him how fast Golden
Shell flows, too — without him
shoutin' back at me. Now we're
good friends, and he calls me the
slick salesman — get it?
Sincerely,
ferv-
W
IfZ/Oftf . . .
^A
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Yuletide spirit, so your home reflects you. Your dwell-
ing is the show window of your personality.
Christmastide is friend- visiting time. See to it that your home
portrays to those whose association you cherish, the best that is
within you.
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/Mmprouement Ira
'The Glory of God is Intelligence'
DECEMBER, 1938
VOLUME 41
NUMBER 12
"THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH"
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS,
MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS, DEPART-
MENT OF EDUCATION. MUSIC COMMITTEE. WARD
TEACHERS, AND OTHER AGENCIES OF THE CHURCH
OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
Heber J.
Grant,
John A.
Widtsoe,
Editors
Richard L. Evans,
Managing
Editor
Marba C
. Josephson,
Associate Editor
George Q.
Morris, General Mgr.
Lucy G. Ce
nnon. Associate Mgr.
J. K. Ortor
, Business Mgr.
JhsL fodikftdu (poqsL
The "Still Small Voice" Heber J. Grant 712
Evidences and Reconciliations — Part 5 John A. Widtsoe 713
Chastity J. Reuben Clark, Jr. 714
Portrait of a Young Man — Part 2 Rachel Grant Taylor 716
"Thy Neighbor As Thyself" Rufus K. Hardy 718
Britain Looks at the Mormons Richard L. Evans 719
The Story of Our Hymns George D. Pyper
Looking Toward 1947 Rose W. Bennett
The Church in New York City William L. Woolf
Church Moves On : 734
Helping Others to Help Them-
selves, William Mulder 737
Priesthood: Melchizedek -742
Ward Teaching 745
Aaronic * 746
Genealogical 748
Mutual Messages: Executives,
Tribute to Martha H. Tingey,
Heber J. Grant . 749
725
726
728
Christmas Poems 750
Circulation of Library Books,
Aurelia Bennion 750
M Men 751
Gleaners .751
Juniors 752
Bee-Hive 752
Scouts - 753
Field Photos 751, 753
SfuudoL J>&cdu/t£A,
On the Street "Called Straight" Joseph Jacobs 722
The Protestors of Christendom — IX James L. Barker 724
Wine is a Mocker ..Eva Willes Wangsgard 732
Introducing Lionel Banks, Wes-
ton Nordgren 708
Exploring the Universe, Frank-
lin S. Harris, Jr 709
Homing, What Books Shall I
Give, Marba C. Josephson... .738
Here's How .740
On the Book Rack 741
Index to Advertisers 760
Your Page and Ours ...768
fijdiiouodA,
Gift to Youth— 1938 Richard L. Evans 736
A Christmas Thought ...Marba C. Josephson 736
J>jctwn, (posdJiy, Qjwa&w&iiL (Pju%%Isl
The Return of Solomon Crosley Olive M. Nicholes.720
The Native Blood— Part 2 Albert R. Lyman 723
Commonplace Things Roberta Piatt 731
Frontispiece: Christmas Cycle, Poetry Page 733
Blanche Kendall McKey 71 1 Scriptural Crossword Puzzle. ...766
JhsL QdvsJv
THIS Christmas window by H. Armstrong Roberts suggests the warmth and hospi-
tality of Christmas — at which time it is to be hoped there will be none left outside
the window, where frost and disappointment chill hearts and spirits as well as the
physical man.
706
(DoljouL Jiyww—
How the "still small voice" operates
among the children of God?
Page 712
How old the earth is? Page 713
What the various beliefs are con-
cerning the time of creation?....
Page 713
If we may safely outgrow chastity?
Page 714
What the London "Daily Express"
and Britain's "Cavalcade" have to
say about the Mormons? ... Page 719
How the Church is progressing in
the ancient city of Damascus?
Page 722
Why and where John Huss was
burned? Page 724
What beautification steps are being
recommended for the West's
1947 celebration? • Page 726
Where the Gospel was first preach-
ed in New York City and how the
Church operates there today? —
Page 728
Why it is said that "Wine is a
Mocker"? Page 732
What are "Deseret Industries" and —
the "Deseret Clothing Factory"?
Page 737
What biography of one of the Pres-
idents of the Church will soon be
released? - Page 741
What new book is being published
containing the writings of Har-
rison R. Merrill? . Pages 741, 763
What children's books are recom-
mended for Christmas?
Pages 738 to 740
What novel quorum projects are
under way? Page 742
EXECUTIVE AND EDITORIAL
OFFICES:
50 North Main Street, Salt Lake City. Utah
Copyright 1938. by the Young Men's Mutual
Improvement Association Corporation of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
All rights reserved. Subscription price. $2.00
a year, in advance; 20c Single Copy.
Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City.
Utah, as second-class matter. Acceptance for
mailing at special rate of postage provided
for in section 1103, Act of October, 1917.
authorized July 2. 1918.
The Improvement Era is not responsible
for unsolicited manuscripts, but welcomes con-
tributions. All manuscripts must be accompanied
by sufficient postage for delivery and return.
NATIONAL ADVERTISING
REPRESENTATIVES
Francis M. Mayo, Salt Lake City
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SEE YOUR FORD DEALER TODAY
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
NEW BUS
SERVICE
Between Salt Lake City and Payson
Effective December 5, 1938
"LJERE'S big news for Utah travelers! Beginning
^ Monday, December 5, you can travel locally
by Union Pacific bus between any points in Utah
. south of Salt Lake City (including Salt Lake City).
Enjoy the comfort of smoothriding Super-Coaches
Sample LOW FareS on every trip through this territory!
(From Salt Lake City)
American Fork $ .65
Pleasant Grove .70
Provo ...,;:.-;.. .90
Spanish Fork .. 1.10
Payson ±~~ 1.30
Nephi ...„.:.:.... 1.70
Fillmore ._.. 2.90
Cedar City __ 5.00
Las Vegas 8.00
Los Angeles .... 9.95
Portland -~ 13.00
Chicago .. — 24.50
3 convenient schedules daily each way
SOUTHBOUND
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Salt Lake City 10:30 a. m. 7:30 p. m.
Provo 11:56 a. m. 8:56 p. m.
Spanish Fork 12:16 p. m. 9:16 p. m.
Payson „12:28 p. m. 9:28 p. m.
Nephi - 1:35 p.m. 10:11p.m.
Cedar City 5:49 p. m. 2:30 a. m.
Las Vegas _ 10:15 p. m. 6:00 a. m.
Los Angeles 6:30 a. m. 2:45 p. m.
NORTHBOUND
Los Angeles 9:00 a. m. 6:00 p. m.
Las Vegas 6:20 p. m. 2:25 a. m.
Cedar City 12:22 a. m. 8:30 a. m.
Nephi 4:11 a. m. 12:59 p. m.
Payson 4:49 a. m. 1:34 p. m.
Spanish Fork 5:01 a. m. 1:46 p. m.
Provo - 5:28 a. m. 2:13 p. m.
Salt Lake City 6:45 a. m. 3:30 p. m.
1:00 a. m.
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For other dollar-saving fares and complete bus travel
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UNION PACIFIC STAGES
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336-340 S. Main, American Bldg.,
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For Further Information
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Information
EASTMAN KODAK STORES, Inc.
Phone Wasatch 5292
155 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah
STEPHEN G00SS0N (LEFT) FORMER HEAD OF
COLUMBIA STUDIOS ART DEPARTMENT, AND
LIONEL BANKS (RIGHT) PRESENT HEAD OF
COLUMBIA ART DEPARTMENT.
INTRODUCING
LIONEL BANKS
By Weston N. Nordgren
You will like Lionel Banks. Soon
you will be chatting with him as
with an old and valued friend.
He puts you at ease. Lionel Banks
is the new art department head at
Columbia Studios in Hollywood.
He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.
His grandfather, Oliver C. Bess, came
to Utah with Brigham Young in 1847.
His Banks grandparents were among
the handcart pioneers. Lionel's early
education was obtained from the Lat-
ter-day Saints' High School and the
University of Utah. The family still
maintains Banks Court in Salt Lake
City. An Elder, Lionel Banks, now
37, and his wife, the former LaVee
Peterson of Richfield, maintain mem-
bership in Arlington Ward, Hollywood
Stake, with their two sons, Neil, 5, and
Robin, 4.
In 1920, Lionel Banks came to the
coast and studied at the University of
Southern California. After obtaining
his degree, he returned to Utah, pur-
suing his profession as an architect.
He began motion picture work at
Warner Bros. First National Studios
on their first sound picture, starring
Al Jolson.
The film, "Moby Dick," was largely
his work. Many other films have fol-
lowed, chief of which is the new mo-
tion picture, "You Can't Take It With
You." We met him, in fact, through
the good offices of Harry McPherson,
former Salt Lake newspaper man, now
at Columbia, while previewing this film.
He started at Columbia as a sketch
artist, taking the job for two weeks. He
has been there nine years now; and for
the past six years has been Associate
to Art Director Stephen Goosson. On
July 1, of this year, he succeeded Mr.
Goosson as head of Columbia's Art De-
partment.
708
fcxplounq^ thsL IAmwqmil
T-Jow does sap get from the roots to
*" ■*■ the leaves in a tree? Usually it
is said that the sap is pulled upward by
suction from the leaves where evapora-
tion is going on. Some new interesting
work on this problem with tomato
roots, that had never been attached to
a plant, found enough pressure de-
veloped in the roots to send sap to the
top of a California big tree, or more
than 100 pounds per square inch.
P\oes water have form or structure?
Surprising as it may seem, a honey-
comb pattern or structure has been
found in very cold water which persists
as the temperature goes up. Ice, of
course, has a definite evident structure,
but this pattern persists as the water
becomes liquid, with a sort of honey-
comb form through which the molecules
of water move in and out.
By FRANKLIN S. HARRIS, JR.
P\r. T. J. Case of the University of
*-^ Chicago has found that the elec-
trical waves given off by the brain can
be used to detect scars and tumors in
the brain. This may then take the
place of the X-ray method where a
hole must be drilled into the skull, so
that air can take the place of brain
fluid, to give shadows on the photo-
graphs.
M
Are other living things right or left-
^* handed? The cricket, the grass-
hopper and many others draw their
bow, which is on the right wing-case
over the sounding apparatus on the
left wing-case. Nearly all the molluscs,
(snails, etc.), that have spiral shells
roll their coils from left to right. There
are very few of the numerous species
which turn from right to left. Zoo
tests have found the chances are four
to one that a parrot will reach for food
with the left claw.
A rhinoceros has no ear for music- —
"^ — at least one in the London Zoo
tried to charge an orchestra no matter
what tune was played. The sea-lions
liked everything but jazz. The wolves
and jackals responded readily to the
music offered. A tune set in a depress-
ing minor key caused them to point
their noses to the sky and drown out
the orchestra. The cheetah enjoyed
a fox-trot but showed alarm at
Gounod's "Funeral March." Music
never failed to bring all the crocodiles
out of the ponds onto the banks, where
they showed interest with upraised
heads. A like effect was obtained with
scorpions and spiders. Birds were in
no way attracted and some clearly an-
noyed.
oscow, Russia, has made a test of
a pavement made of black and
brown rubber. After nine months of
severe traffic conditions the experiment
was declared successful. Advantages
claimed are: noiselessness, neither ice
nor snow remains on it, and it is easy
to wash.
An improved whooping tough vac-
•** cine is being prepared and tested
by the U. S. Public Health Service.
Preliminary results are encouraging but
careful tests taking another two years
will be necessary before the vaccine's
effectiveness will be known. Prepared
from the Sauer vaccine now used, the
new type takes longer to be absorbed
by the body, giving a longer time for
antibodies to be formed, and in addi-
tion needs to be given in only two
doses instead of six.
*W£ STARTED THROUGH LITE "
ON A HEALTHY
FOUNDATION"
TH£ QUINTUPLETS
KpJvo id "fcJvC cryouf Axtruup
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C^nI>a^(S/Lodbtd Lot (VtMUTiMM
Kemembet:
KARO IS RICH IN DEXTROSE,
THE FOOD ENERGY SUGAR
World Copyright, 1938 NEA Service, Inc.
i ii ■
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
■fc • * • •
CHRISTMAS
♦ ♦
AT CHRISTMAS CITY
WE BELIEVE . . . Again, with the arrival of this most
joyous time of year, comes a desire from us who strive
at Christmas City, to make each season a little happier
and a little brighter ... to reiterate anew those ideals
which motivate all our ambitions and endeavors.
WE BELIEVE ... in the Spirit of Christmas and in the
happiness and joy that comes from giving. We believe
that the size of the gift is unimportant, but whatever you
give, see that quality is there
WE BELIEVE ... in quality to the very corse, for there
is no economy except in quality
WE BELIEVE ... in simplicity and thrill to the beauty
and joy that comes from simple things . . . and we have
filled our Christmas City with thousands of just such
lovable items. .....
WE BELIEVE . . . that a store should be a place
where people can select what they want and need from
among thousands of items with confidence and ease.
WE BELIEVE ... in rotund Santas, in holly wreaths
and in mistletoe ... in Christmas carols and happy greet-
ings ... in what we stand for and what we have.
WE APPRECIATE ... the 70 years of public trust
which we have enjoyed and we stand today more eager
than ever before to serve you. .....
*
710
From a panel by Avard Fairbanks.
CHRISTMAS CYCLE
I
T was myself a little child — alone
Von a Christmas hearth, its glow grown dim.
The soft white flakes upon the window blown,
The tap upon the pane of whitened limb
Had filled my heart with awe — perhaps with fear.
The wind sang shrill; the frozen world was dark;
The candles with no flame had lost their cheer;
I wondered where had flown the meadow lark.
And then a slumbering log awoke to flame — -
The tinsel of the tree sprang glad with light;
And, shadow-soft, I seemed to hear my name
As now a little Christ Child filled my sight —
A sparkling Child with halo like the frost,
And we were friends — with all the shadows lost!
Ill
'T'here were no smiles one glazed December day —
Just hush and pain, no word, no tone could reach;
Mere chaos, and a heart bowed low. The ray
Of friendly Christmas candle, thoughts men preach
Fell like dead leaves on grief-drenched eyes and ears.
The touch of baby cheek — now marble chill —
Was not enough to bring the needed tears;
My mind was impotent to wake the will.
But when I seemed to see Him in the night
And — floating to me on the Christmas chime —
I heard my name, His eyes alight,
I knew the sleeping babe was ever mine.
O wonderment to feel that He was near —
"I am the light — " above a tiny bier!
II
Tt was the time of holly and of chimes
When bridal lilies breathed of ecstacy.
There was the jargon, too, of boyish rhymes —
For never had been seen a bride like me!
There were the laces and the gleaming gown,
The laughter — and my mother's hidden tear;
The winding staircase which I pattered down
All radiant to meet the coming year.
But when I stood a moment there alone
Beside the candles and the log burned low,
Like echoes from far years, in gentle tone
I heard again my name; I saw the glow
Of that same smile. O, little Christ Child dear!
In my full world of love I felt you near!
IV
HThe kiss of snow, like velvet on my cheek;
The moon grown faint, and starlight lost in haze;
Low chanting from the churches of the meek —
The old, old tongue that lived in other days.
Far arcs of town, in holiday array,
Are gleaming dream-like through a misty lane.
As echoes of a carol, sweet and gay,
Proclaim His birth again, and yet again.
But I, grown old, can hear His whisper low,
And I, grown wise, can feel the inner light;
O it is good to walk in falling snow
And feel the wings of love that lift the night!
For life is rich in tides which sweep the years
When man may grow toward majesty through tears!
BLANCHE KENDALL McKEY
711
]JhE EDITORS PAGE
JhsL "SiUL Small Oqiol'
By PRESIDENT HEBER J.GRANT
HPhe "still small voice" is given to those who heed it,
•*• each for his own comfort and guidance, according
to his faithfulness and needs.
I am reminded of some very faith promoting inci-
dents in my experience. I was out in Tooele
at a quarterly stake conference and the Patriarch
of the stake, Brother John Rowberry, had told me
many years before of having had a dream (as I
remember it, thirty years before ) , in which he was on
a great vessel, and every once in a while somebody fell
overboard, and he finally fell overboard himself, and
when he struggled through the water he came out into
the most beautiful country that he had ever seen, and
he met Brother Orson Pratt there. He asked Brother
Pratt: "Where am I?" and Brother Pratt said: "You
are in heaven, Brother Rowberry."
Brother Pratt happened to be out in Tooele at that
particular time visiting the various wards in that stake,
and Brother Rowberry told him of this dream, praying
to the Lord that Brother Pratt would not ask him who
the man was that he met in his dream. He did not
want to tell him that he, Brother Pratt, had to die first.
Brother Pratt said: "I will pray about it and if I get
the interpretation I will give it to you."
Just before leaving (he was there several weeks)
Brother Pratt said:
"Well, I prayed about your dream, Brother Row-
berry, and I got the interpretation. The people on that
vessel represented the people of the world. You said that
the majority of the people who fell overboard you did
not know. If you will write down a list of those you did
know in the order in which they fell overboard I promise
you that they shall die in that exact order, and I promise
you that when you shall go to heaven you shall meet
the identical man that you met in your dream, and
when you meet him tell him that the dream was from
the Lord and the interpretation was also from the
Lord through Brother Orson Pratt."
And Brother Rowberry said: "Brother Pratt, I will
tell him."
While I was still in Tooele as president of the stake,
I received a telegram to the effect that Brother Orson
Pratt was in a very serious condition of health and re-
questing that we hold a prayer meeting in both Grants-
ville and Tooele for his recovery. We did so, and,
as we were going into the prayer circle room in Tooele,
Brother Rowberry said to me: "Heber, do you remem-
ber my dream?" I told him, "Yes." He said: "Well, it
is Brother Pratt's turn next." And indeed, that proved
to be Brother Pratt's last illness.
Some years later I was out in Tooele at a stake con-
ference at which Brother Rowberry was one of the
speakers. He was in very good health, although he
was an aged man at the time. He spoke with a great
deal of power and vigor and expressed his gratitude
for the Gospel. After the meeting he said: "Brother
Grant, do you remember my dream?" I said, "Yes."
He said: "The people have died in the exact order in
which they fell off the vessel. They are all gone, and it
is my turn next and I am the happiest man in all Tooele
County. I am anxious to meet Brother Pratt and to
meet your father and other men and women 1 have
loved with all my heart. By the way, I will tell your
father, Brother Grant, that you are doing very well as
an Apostle."
The next time I went to Tooele he had passed on.
Asa baby only six months old my daughter, Lucy, was
■ very, very ill out in Tooele, and I sent for Brother
Rowberry to come and administer to her. After he had
blessed her he turned to me and said: "Did you get
the witness of the spirit that your baby should live?"
I said: "No, I did not." He said: "I did, and I know
she is going to live. Go to your desk and get a piece
of paper and let me give her a Patriarchal blessing."
He gave her a blessing and he made many remarkable
promises to her, many of which have been fulfilled to
the very letter.
Some time later he met me and he said: "Brother
Grant, I want you to come to my office." (He was
the Probate Judge out there.) "I have a blessing in my
heart for you of a Patriarchal nature." He gave me
a most wonderful and marvelous blessing, nearly all
of which has been fulfilled to the very letter, and he
made the remark: "Brother Grant, I saw something
that I dared not put in your blessing." I then had the
impression (I was just twenty- four years of age when
he made that remark and had not been made an Apostle)
that I should live to preside over the Church. I have
felt that is what he saw. I never spoke of it in my
life until I became the President of the Church, and I
tried to persuade myself at that time and through all
the following years that it could not be — that I was
mistaken. Some of the things Brother Rowberry prom-
ised me in that patriarchal blessing I could hardly be-
lieve would come true, but they have done so.
[ WAS feeling as blue, financially speaking, as I ever
•*■ did in my life when my cousin, Anthony W. Ivins,
was called to go to Mexico. He had been marvelously
successful in running ranches. He and I owned half of
a $50,000 ranch that for years paid a 25 per cent divi-
dend regularly. The panic had come on, and some
institutions in which I had money were not paying
dividends. The $12,500 I owned in this ranch was pay-
ing the interest at 6 per cent on $50,000 of my debts.
I was sitting in the temple, feeling heart-broken (al-
though I was one of the committee that nominated
Brother Ivins to go into Mexico because I felt im-
pressed that he was needed there and that the Lord
wanted him to go there ) , when it came to me as plainly
as though a voice had declared it: "You have no need
of feeling sad because of your cousin's going to Mexico.
He is going right where the Lord wants him to go and
you shall have the exquisite joy of welcoming him back
into this room of the temple as an Apostle of this last
dispensation." I immediately shed some tears of joy
and gratitude. And this promise also was fulfilled.
I mention these things simply to strengthen our
knowledge and faith. The Lord gives to many of us
the still, small voice of revelation. It comes as vividly
and strongly as though it were with a great sound. It
comes to each man, according to his needs and faithful-
ness, for guidance in matters that pertain to his own
life. And for the Church as a whole it comes to those
who have been ordained to speak for the Church as a
whole. And this certain knowledge which we have that
the guiding influence of the Lord may be felt in all the
ways of life, according to our needs and faithfulness,
is among the greatest blessings God grants unto men.
And with this blessing comes the responsibility to
render obedience to the "still small voice".
712
Evidences and
reconciliations
X) Aids to Faith in a Modern Day
Tt fotJ • M.I r ±t 1 been left to gradual preaching and human instru-
fflOiV C/LcL JUu tflSL fcJCVujrL? mentality. So in nature, trees, animals, and men
^^ have small beginnings, and require time to attain
HHhis is an ancient question which has occasioned to perfection." ( A. McCaul, "The Mosaic Record
much controversy. There are at least three of Creation," p. 213 in Aids to Faith.)
prevailing answers among faithful Bible-be- Second. The word translated "day" in Genesis
lieving Latter-day Saints. The fact appears to be really means, in the original, an age or undefined
that no man knows the age of the earth. period of time, and is so rendered in several trans-
The first group believe that the earth was created lations of the Bible. Further, the first three "days"
in six days of twenty-four hours each. That is, could not have been days such as we have, for the
the earth was six days old at the coming of Adam, sun and the moon had not yet been placed in the
This view is based upon the literal acceptance of firmament.^ (Genesis, 1:5-19.) Moreover, the
the story of creation as given in King James' word "day" is used frequently throughout the Bible
translation of Genesis. (Gen., Chapter 1; Exodus in a general sense, as "the day of the Lord," the
20: 1 1 . ) According to this belief there was a sue- day of vengeance," "the night is far spent, the day
cession of sudden or catastrophic creative events is at hand."
during this short period of time which led to the Third. Scripture revealed in modern days to the
formation of the earth. The catastrophists contend Prophet Joseph Smith indicates that the word
that the Lord is able through His divine power, if "day" should be understood to mean periods of
He so desires, to form an earth or many earths in time, for in the Abrahamic record of creation, each
short moments of time. They also quote the words creative act is followed by the statement "This was
of Moses as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first or the beginning of that which they called
which follow closely the wording of King James' night and day," "and this was the second time that
translation. (Pearl of Great Price, Moses, 2:1-31.) they called night and day," and so on until "and
The second group hold that each day of crea- they numbered the sixth time." {Pearl of Great
tion was really one thousand years, and that the Price, Abraham, Chapter 4. ) Then, "And the Gods
earth therefore was six thousand years old at the concluded upon the seventh time." (Ibid, 5:3.)
coming of Adam. Those who uphold this view Fourth. Genesis opens with the phrase "In
quote as their support the statement of the Apostle the beginning God created the heavens and the
Peter, "One day is with the Lord as a thousand earth." It is quite agreed by students that the
years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 word "beginning" is indefinite in its significance and
Peter, 3:8.) In defense of this view the statement may mean previous time or even previous eternity,
made by Abraham is also quoted: "The Lord said according to subject — as in John's gospel "Before
unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob the world was." (John 17:5.) This is placed by
was after the manner of the Lord, according to its the side of Alma's words "All is as one day with
times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that God and time only is measured unto men," (Alma,
one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his 40:8) as indicating that our measurement of time,
manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years with its short days and hours came only with man.
according to the time appointed unto that whereon Fifth. The slow processes of nature, as known
thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's to man, must long have been in operation to lift
time according to the reckoning of Kolob. (Pearl the mountains from lake and sea bottoms, and to
of Great Price, Abraham, 3 :4. ) carve out the valleys. All human experience points
The third group believe that the creation of the to the need of periods of time far beyond six thou-
earth extended over immensely long periods of time, sand years, to fashion the earth as it appears today,
not yet correctly established by revelation or by or as it seems to have been throughout recorded
man's scientific advance, and that the earth there- history.
fore is very old. In support of this view they Sixth. Recent discoveries in the field of radio-
marshal several arguments: • activity have furnished a "time-clock" which corn-
First. It is admitted that the Lord has power pels the belief that the earth is very old, far beyond
to accomplish His work in His own way and time, the former, accepted limits.
"But nature and scripture both teach us that it has Those who upon the above and other views hold
pleased the Lord to work gradually. His purpose that the earth is very old, have attempted to esti-
was to fill the earth with inhabitants, and yet only mate the age of the earth in years. The method is
a single pair was created. ... It is His will that always based on a common principle. The rate at
the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge which some process is going on at the present day
of Himself; but the diffusion of the knowledge has {Concluded on page 755)
713
CHASTITY
By PRESIDENT J. REUBEN CLARK, JR.
Of the First Presidency
(fha&titi^ idu ^undamsmiaL Jb jowl JU$jl
and, Jb jowl xdvUiycdwn. 9£. JthsL Juool
jbsucomcju unxJia&Jb, it ivilL psihi&h.
\X7e must approach and teach our youth as
children of god, with spirits that are to live
throughout eternity, and tell them plainly and
clearly that the laws of god and man demand
THAT THEY SHALL BE CHASTE. If WE TEACH ANYTHING
LESS THAN THIS WE SHALL DESTROY OUR YOUTH.
I WANT to say a few words to the
parents, to the teachers and to
the youth of the Church about a
matter that seems to me to be of
the most far-reaching importance.
To Moses on Sinai came the law
of all time: "Thou shalt not commit
adultery." The Master, Jesus Christ,
found his most opprobrious term in
the phrase, "an adulterous gener-
ation." The Lord in his time and
in ours, has put adultery and forni-
cation side by side. Both are car-
dinal sins.
The Church has from the begin-
ning demanded of its youth, male
and female, one standard only, ab-
solute continence until proper mar-
riage has legalized and hallowed the
sexual relations. To this there is no
exception. Man is a biological
unit, an animal, but he is more than
this, he is the temple of an immortal
spirit. That spirit can be defiled by
the flesh, and defilement comes when
the laws of chastity are violated.
Our very civilization itself is based
upon chastity, the sanctity of mar-
riage and the holiness of the home.
Destroy these and Christian man
becomes a brute.
For Latter-day Saints the family
relationship continues through eter-
nity. It is the loftiest and most
sacred human relationship we know.
To the chaste young man and young
woman beginning the building of a
home, there is a trust, a confidence,
714
a joy unspeakable, an all but divine
harmony that no other purely human
undertaking can bring. The right-
ful heritage of such a beginning in
life is a life of righteousness that
builds upward to eternal life.
To the unchaste who marry there
is ahead either a life of distrust, lack
of confidence, unhappiness, leading
to the divorce court, or a life of
promiscuous sexual relationship that
ends in misery, disease, and shame.
Debauchery never gave birth to good
of any kind.
Chastity is fundamental to our
life and to our civilization. If the
race becomes unchaste, it will perish.
Immorality has been basic to the
destruction of mighty nations in the
past. It will bring to dust the mighty
nations of the present.
Every one of us who instructs our
youth, in whatever place or position,
and in whatever capacity, must
teach the young people of today to
abstain from unchastity. We must
surround our teachings with due and
proper reserve and modesty. We
must approach and teach the youth
as the children of God, with spirits
that are to live throughout eternity,
and tell them plainly and clearly
that the laws of God, and of man
also, demand that they live chaste.
If we shall teach anything less than
this, we will destroy our youth and
we will bring ourselves under a con-
demnation which is too great to be
fathomed by the human mind.
Tn what I have said I include all of
lis parents. How can we parents
face our Maker if we have failed in
one featherweight to meet the duty
which is ours in these matters? And
let us not make the mistake — any
of us — of assuming that our children
are beyond temptation and may not
fall. This is a delusion and a snare
that will bring us to the very depths.
Let every father and every mother,
every brother and every sister, stand
guard day and night that their loved
ones be not seized and carried away
by lust.
You young people, may I directly
entreat you to be chaste. Please be-
lieve me when I say that chastity
is worth more than life itself. This
is the doctrine my parents taught
me; it is truth. Better die chaste
than live unchaste. The salvation
of your very soul is concerned in
this.
I ask you to believe me when I
say that whenever a man or woman,
young or old, demands as the price
of his friendship that you give up
the righteous standards of your life,
or any of them, that man's friend-
ship is not worth the price he asks.
You may not trust that friendship.
He will cast it off as he does his
worn-out coat. Friendship is not
now and never was the offspring of
debauchery or unrighteousness.
I ask you young women to be-
lieve me further when I say that any
young man who demands your
chastity as the price of his love, is
spiritually unclean, and is offering
something that is not worth the
purchase price. His love will turn
to ashes under your touch; it will
lead you to misery and shame; and
too often it will curse you with dread
disease.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 19 3 8
To you young men I say that any
woman who comes to you offering
her person outside of legal wedlock,
is playing the harlot.
The Lord has said in our day:
"For I, the Lord, cannot look upon
sin with the least degree of allow-
ance." (D. and C. 1 :31 ). And to
Moses he said that no unclean thing
can dwell in the kingdom of God
or in his presence. (Moses 6:57.)
Yet there is forgiveness for the
sinner who truly repents. God's
mercy is just as boundless as his
anxious to forgive, if you shall come
with a repentant heart — the repent-
ance of a forsaking of sin, and the
living of a righteous life, and a con-
trite spirit.
To the unbelieving scoffer who
says: "All you say merely shows
how old and out of date your re-
ligion is," — or, as one educator said:
"how much your religion is of the
kindergarten type" — to the scoffers
who say that man has outgrown the
old God with His rewards and pun-
ishments, His standards, and that
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i£ JULdu—ofc oAAumm^ ihaL djjUl
xJuIcOw/l cUisL JbsuptuL hmpiaiwrL atuL
may. JwLfedl.
"pOR I, the Lord, cannot look upon sin with
THE LEAST DEGREE OF ALLOWANCE." DOC. AND
Cov. 1:31.
I have spoken plainly because
plain speech is necessary. I have
tried not to speak indelicately; I have
not spoken lewdly.
Youth, be not disturbed. Be
valiant. God^ives. The Gospel is
His way of life. Follow the Gospel
Jo JtfuL ACD^SMu wlfW AOlf WSL hctVSL DJUiqJWIVfL dflCL&Jtify, it Ldu
Au^icknt io Aai^ ihaL iku&. hctA. ihai/L JdrwL Afwfout. auiol
Qcdn. thkxL io $umL cu bsdi&Jv svai^ than, ihsL otul 'Sod. heat
fUwvid&d. JJuitu wilL ih&tf olwayA, AfmaL uniiL %oxL Ahall
xJoasl ih&bv nwudha.
justice. To the woman taken in
adultery, condemned to death by
the Mosaic law, Jesus said: "Go,
and sin no more." But the heart
must be ripened in repentance be-
fore forgiveness can come, and sor-
row alone is not repentance. A new
and righteous life must be led.
Church members, young and old,
the Lord demands that you be
chaste. The Church requires chas-
tity from you under penalty of dis-
fellowship and excommunication. If
any of you have already sinned, your
brethren and sisters stand ready and
T ET EVERY FATHER AND EVERY MOTHER, EVERY BROTHER AND
EVERY SISTER, STAND GUARD DAY AND NIGHT THAT THEIR
LOVED ONES BE NOT SEIZED AND CARRIED AWAY IN UNCHASTITY.
man must now create for himself a
new God — and this last is at the root
of much of the so-called modern
philosophy, which considers man as
creating his God, not God as creat-
ing His children — to these scoffers it
is sufficient to say that thus has their
kind spoken since Cain tried to find
a better way than the one God had
provided. Thus will they always
speak until God shall close their
mouths.
path to eternal life, "And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent." ( John 17:3.)
May the Lord give us His spirit,
bring home to our hearts the ne-
cessity of chastity for every man and
every woman, for every boy and
every girl, I ask, in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen. — From an address
delivered at the \09th Semi- Annual
Conference.
o^§ ®^^o
715
Portrait^
£L
Part Two
The Young Family Man
Really to know a man one
should also know his wife.
Father you have met. Let
me introduce you to my mother. For
only a few years we were privileged
to have her with us, yet so strong
and clear-cut was the impression of
her vivid, inspiring, dynamic per-
sonality that it was, is and always
will be a vital part of my innermost
being.
Mother's father, Briant String-
ham, came west with the first com-
pany of Mormon pioneers; her moth-
er came later with my grandfather
Jedediah M. Grant's company. At
the time of the Gold Rush Grand-
father Stringham had decided to go
to California when he met Brigham
Young, who said: "Briant, what
are you doing?"
"I'm preparing to go to California.
I've sold my shop."
"Well, we'll find something for
you right here. You can take care
of the Church stock from Arizona to
Idaho." .
Headquarters for the Church
stock was on Antelope Island.
Mother used to tell us of the happy
summers spent on what was then
called "Church Island." There were
an adobe house, an orchard, springs
of fresh water, hills to climb, horses
to ; ride and a beach of fine sand
where they went into the lake to
bathe. What more could a child
desire — especially when she had a
father who said his idea of heaven
was "a ten-acre lot filled with chil-
dren."
When mother was thirteen those
happy, carefree days ended, for her
father died, leaving a large family
to make their own way in life. Al-
though so young, mother felt keenly
the ; responsibility of holding the
family together, and giving them
every possible educational advan-
tage. Aunt Louisa A. Badger, who
was reared in grandfather String-
ham's home, recently wrote of her:
In her girlhood days she had a struggle
against poverty, but she went to school
determined to make something of herself,
and she prepared to be a teacher.
Your grandmother was not a strong
woman and had little in a financial way —
just a home. She had a knitting machine
with which she knit stockings for the stores.
I see Lou now in the kitchen getting break-
fast. We all helped, but Lou was the
7\6
YOUNG MAN
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$JumL x^L msfiSL than. hal£ cl awiuhi^
ago—whoASL litf&JL ambiiimuiu w&Jisl oa.
y&L unJisaU^id.
By RACHEL GRANT TAYLOR
THE GRANT BROTHERS, LEFT TO RIGHT, FRONT
ROW: JEDEDIAH MORGAN GRANT, JOSEPH
HYRUM GRANT, GEORGE SMITH GRANT; BACK
ROW: BRIGHAM F. GRANT, HEBER J. GRANT,
JOSHUA F. GRANT.
leader. She worked in the morning, sew-
ing, washing, getting things done before
school time.
She adored your father, and has told me
that to her there was nothing lacking in
him, that he just met her requirements. She
cultivated your father's friends for his sake,
and it was not long until they all liked to
come to her home. She loved beautiful
things, took joy in literature and the drama.
• • •
She could see the right plainly. Her
eyes would flash at an untruth and she
would say, "That is not so." She could
not tolerate anything "put on."
She had a keen brain and executive
ability. Her perceptions and desires were
all for the fine and good.
When I think of Lou, I see her truthful-
ness, love of honesty in word and act.
Her religion was life to her.
Such a woman was my mother,
who shared with my father the ex-
periences which we here call "The
Portrait of a Young Man."
It was not until April, 1881, that
Father bought a house in Tooele.
He writes:
I gave Brother H. S. Gowans $800.00
to pay Brother John Larsen in full for his
residence, $900.00 being the price agreed
upon. I had paid Brother Larsen $100.00
while he was in Salt Lake attending con-
ference.
The journal tells of a Brother El-
der working on the house, and from
the record it appears that Father
helped him at every opportunity.
While the pages of Father's jour-
nal relating to his Church, business
and other matters were interesting,
the part describing the time our fam-
ily moved to Tooele disclosed a
phase of his life that was entirely
new.
Mother was not very well, and so
Father had the responsibility of
moving. On Wednesday, May 4th.
he writes:
Spent the day at the office and pur-
chasing goods to ship to Tooele. Thurs-
day and Friday, same.
The book in which the journal is
written has many pages devoted to
matters other than journal. There are
lists of insurance risks, and diagrams
of buildings to be insured. On some
of the pages I found a list of the
things he had purchased to set up
housekeeping in the new home.
The first item was knives and
forks, $14.00, crossed out, Evi-
dently that had been considered too
expensive, and some costing $4.75
were chosen. The item of "a bolt
of lonsdale," immediately brought
with it a picture of a wholesale sup-
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
MY MOTHER'S VALIANT EYES
By Rachel Grant Taylor
Mother dear, my heart goes back
Along the trail of yesteryears,
I see again your valiant eyes
Although my own are dim with tears.
You could not stay with love to light
My way when shadows should arise,
But you could leave a gift divine —
The memory of your valiant eyes.
When death shall come with beckon-
ing hand
And free my soul from earthly ties,
One boon I crave from out the dusk,
Love's greeting from your valiant
eyes.
Reprinted by Courtesy of the
Relief Society Magazine.
ply of children's dresses, little and
big, full-ruffled petticoats, and tuck-
yoked, long sleeve nightgowns.
I was amused that the things Fa-
ther bought for repairing the house
and for garden tools had no price.
Another item that seems to have
been eliminated was bed springs,
$10.00. I wondered what they sub-
stituted; still, with 40 yards of tick-
ing, a hair mattress, and 10 pounds
of feathers, perhaps the springs
could be omitted.
The list follows:
Grater 10
Mustard Spoon
Egg Beater 35
Wringer 7.00
Teaspoons 50
Tablespoons 1 .00
Tin cup 20
Tin Plates 50
3 Tin cups 35
Bread Plate 1.75
Bread Plate 2.00
Dust pan 50
Dust Brush 75
4 lbs. Raisins 1. 00
4 lbs. Currants 50
6 cans Field
Oysters 1.50
8 lbs. Rice 1.00
Tapioca, Pearl 40
6 lb. Box Starch 85
Olive Oil 1. 00
Cheese 1.00
3% lbs. Soap 1.25
Sieve 35
Coaloil Can 50
6 Milk Pans _... 1.50
Sauce Pan 1.00
Water Pail 1.50
Water Pitcher 75
1 doz. Glasses 1.60
Churn ._ 1.20
1 doz. Sauce
dishes 80
Flat Irons 2.75
Tack Hammer 40
Soap 1.00
Salt 20
3 oz. Nutmegs 25
2 pkg. Corn Starch .30
Yeast Powder 50
Rolling Pin 25
Tubs 4.25
Wash Board 35
Clothes Basket 1.50
7 doz. C Pins 50
2 Brooms 80
Sapone 25
Oil Cloth 65
Table Cloth _... 1.05
Crash 1.00
Sheeting C W
Lonsdale 1 bolt
Ticking 40 yards at
20c
1 sack sugar
Shoes Ray 1.25
Shoes wife
Hat 4.50
12 box Matches 50
Stove Blacking 25
3 boxes Shoe
Blacking 25
Shoe Brush 50
Butter Bowl 50
Box Blueing 25
Can Coaloil 2.75
Lamp 4.00
Lamp 75
Lamp .65
1 doz. Plates 1.25
Caster 1.00
2 Veg. Dishes 40
2 Veg. Bakers 1.20
2 Veg. Bakers 60
From Dinwoodey's
Cupboard $28.00
Safe 9.00
Table 14.00
Chairs 6 12.00
Rocking Chair 4.50
Bedstead 8.50
3 Wooden Chairs.. 3.00
Bedstead 12.00
Hair Mattress 12.00
10 lbs. Feathers 7.50
2 Hat Racks 2.00
Looking Glass
Bracket 2.75
Clothes Horse 2.50
Axe and Handle
Hatchet
Rake
Shovel
Spade
Hoe
Fork
Pick
Scythe
Wheelbarrow
250 shingles, 5 boards
9 inches by 14 feet
14 brackets for the posts.
290 feet ceiling lumber.
90 feet moulding.
Saturday, April 30. Took the 7 a. m.
train for Tooele. Went to my house and
assisted Brother Elder in working on the
same. In the evening went to the Court
House and wrote to Tony Ivins.
The week from May 7th to May
14th was occupied principally in
moving. Of this Father writes:
Saturday, May 7, 1881. Took morning
train for Tooele. Met by Andrew Gow-
ans with wagon. He and I loaded a wagon
full of household effects and took them to
my home in Tooele. Thos. W. Lee and I
drove to the depot and helped Andrew to
load again. (Went to meeting in Grants-
ville.) Returned to Tooele in the evening
and helped Brother Elder working on my
house.
Monday. Did some little work in un-
packing my household effects — balance of
day assisted Brother Carl J. Elder in re-
pairing my house.
Wednesday, 11, and Thursday, May
12, spent at office and in purchasing house-
hold furniture and in packing and moving
my effects to the depot to ship to Tooele.
Friday, May 13th. Train for Tooele.
Met at depot by Andrew Gowans and
wagon. Loaded wagon with household
goods. Going to my house we met Brother
Peter Gillespie going for a load of my ef-
fects. I returned with him. Before we got
loaded, Andrew Gowans returned and his
load finished all of the goods.
Saturday, May 14th, 1881. Worked un-
til train time in house and then went to
the depot and met my wife and two chil-
dren. Hired Betsy Gowans to work for us.
Paid Andrew $4.00 for the hauling of four
loads of furniture from the depot. Busy
all day putting down carpets.
Next came the days ot getting set-
tled and working around the lot.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs-
day, Friday, May 16-20. The above days
I was busy hanging pictures, window cur-
tains, working around the house and on
my lot. Did my first plowing.
Saturday, May 21. Worked around the
house in the morning. In the afternoon my
wife and I and also the children drove
to Grantsville to get a cow — one of Broth-
er Samuelson's for $22.50, delivered in
Tooele.
Monday. Worked planting garden until
train time. Went to the depot and met my
wife's sister Susie Jacobs and her baby.
Afternoon spent in gardening.
Saturday, May 28. Took the morning
train for Tooele. Mother, Susie Jacobs and
two children went with me. Met at the
depot by Ephraim Gowans and Richard
Lyman. Had a good buggy load. At dinner
had all the strawberries we could eat pick-
ed from our own lot,
Sunday, May 29. The writing in this
journal has all been done today from the
third line from the bottom of page 45. I
have made memos, in pencil, etc., and should
have written the journal daily, but while
moving and arranging at Tooele my foun-
tain pen gave out and I had no ink at my
residence.
Saturday, June 4. Took train for Tooele.
Spent day at home cutting lucern and other
work. In evening attending meeting for
Co-educational Association. After meeting
cut lucern for about an hour.
Monday, June 6. Took train for Salt
Lake. Before going cut some lucern. It
rained quite hard. I raked up the lucern
during the rain and got wet through.
Monday to Saturday, June 13 to 18. All
the above days I was busy working on
ANTHONY W. IVINS AS A YOUNG MAN
wire doors, screens for windows, cutting
lucern and putting same in barn.
Monday, June 20. Got up at four o'clock
and worked until 12 o'clock putting lucern
in barn. ,>:,■.
have written of Father's ibusy
week-ends doing Church work.
A record of such a time shows moth-
er accompanying him on one of his
trips, even though it entailed getting
up at 3 a.m.:
Thursday, July 14. Morning at .home,
in the evening drove to Lake Point, met
mother and we drove to Bishop Edwin
Hunter's at Grantsville. Found his wife
sick. Bishop and I administered to Sister
Hunter. I got a riding horse of the Bishop
and rode to John Riches and Alma Hale
and John Rowberry's. Asked Alma wheth-
er his father understood that we would
start for Quincy at 4 a. m. tomorrow. Said
yes.
Saturday, July 16. Got up at 3 a. m., fed
the team, greased the buggy, and at 4:20
started for Quincy. Wife and children in
the buggy with me. Mother, Sister Hale,
and one of Brother Hale's sons followed
us. We reached Quincy at 9:20. After din-
ner at Quincy we drove to the Indian Farm
twelve miles south of Quincy. Met Brother
Wm. Lee. Had a meeting and then return-
ed to Quincy.
Sunday, July 17. Attended Sunday
School and afternoon meeting. After meet-
ing drove to Grantsville. . . . When within
four miles of Grantsville I commenced to
walk my team. I wished to wait for the
team with mother and Sister Hale. Had to
walk about forty-five minutes before they
came up. When I found they were all right
I drove very rapidly towards Bishop Hunt-
er's. I had only left the folks a few min-
utes when it commenced to rain and blow
and became so dark it was impossible for
me to see the road. I had to trust to my
team. I could occasionally see the road
when it would lightning. It was so dark
that I could not see even a dim outline of
my horses.
When within a few rods of Wm. R.
Judd's my team stopped. I got out and!
{Continued on page 764)
717
\\
THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF
//
Among the choice gifts from
God to mankind is this, that
each person born on earth
is an individuality, the like of which
has never before come to grace this
earth and the like of which will
never again be born.
Yet there is a unanimity of pur-
pose within the souls of the untold
millions who have been born; the
purpose of liberty, growth, and an
opportunity to work. One who does
not feel the thrill of the opportun-
ity of life, of the privilege of growth
and development and the blessed
boon of labor is ill indeed, both
mentally and physically.
During the last several years,
certain of us have found ourselves
unable to do the things we former-
ly did, and now lack opportunities
to continue on profitably to our-
selves and to our families in the
channels wherein we were wont to
labor.
The Church, ever alert to the
welfare of its members, and hav-
ing practiced from its inception in
1830 to the present time, the prin-
ciple that all men should be profit-
ably and continuously employed at
some occupation which would
bring the necessities of life and the
joy of expansion and development,
has again through its channels of-
fered to all an opportunity to be in-
dependent— to maintain their self-
respect, and to thank God for the
privilege of being able to produce
and earn their shelter, food, cloth-
ing, cultural advantages, and spir-
itual development. In the organiza-
tion of the Church there is a provi-
sion for every exigency; so, today
the quorums of the Priesthood are
functioning in a splendid manner
for the relief and comfort of those
who may be temporarily in unfor-
tunate circumstances.
The members of the 187th Quo-
rum of Seventy, domiciled in six
ecclesiastical wards in the Bear
River Stake, met together and de-
cided they would aid all those who
needed assistance by giving to the
individual members of their quo-
rum, projects which became sources
of pride and accomplishment to
the respective members and the
quorum.
In the assignment of these proj-
ects each man was asked to con-
tinue to do the thing he was already
718
CbudL jul looking ioivahdA, iPuA, idsuil,
(B&Wl fiivjutiL 187ilv QiwuufL afi.
Sswsjnhj^ fwinJUu JthsL way. in, Jbdiing^
oadfL man do^ what Jul doxA. Jba&i.
in ^hiA, choixjL o^ wsdfyaJiSL fUwi&dLdu.
By RUFUS K. HARDY
Of the First Council of the
Seventy
TOP: A YOUNG SEVENTY TOPS BEETS FOR
THE QUORUM.
CENTER: THIS SEVENTY TAKES CARE
OF A QUARTER-ACRE OF BEETS FOR THE
QUORUM.
BOTTOM: "WE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO
GATHER THESE APPLES FROM THE GROUND."
engaged in doing. For instance, five
hundred bushels of apples were set
as the goal for the apple growers
of the quorum. Those who raised
hogs should raise an additional
number, as their individual project.
Each cattle raiser would furnish a
calf and raise it until it was in prime
condition for fall and winter use.
The drovers furnished sheep. Those
who grew grain put in a few acres
additional, this additional grain to
go for the assistance of those who
shall need it. The beet growers put
in an extra half acre or acre of beets
in some neglected corner or weedy
place where they had not grown
beets before.
In the past, quorum obligations
were met by only about 50 per cent
of the members. Others felt that
they were unable to pay what was
asked of them. Now, under this
plan of letting each man contribute
in the line of his own activity, 96
per cent responded, and have not
only furnished enough for all the
needs of the quorum, but in addi-
tion have supplied means to main-
tain missionaries in foreign fields,
and, moreover, have an abundance
which can be used for the blessing
of others outside the quorum who
may need it.
In the towns in this stake, for
those who do not farm, flower gar-
dens were planted, lawns were im-
proved, vegetable gardens were
tended by those who had only their
labor to donate. A contractor in
this stake suggested that he had
several basements to dig and would
turn one or more over to the quo-
rum as work projects. Others of
the quorum had trucks or teams,
while some had only their hands
and a willingness to labor. It has
been a revelation, not only to the
presidents of this quorum, but also
to every member of the quorum
who has so far responded in this
joyous endeavor. It is the sugges-
tion of the presidency of this quo-
rum that for those who wish to do
work for their individual projects
and cannot find work for them-
selves, it is the duty of the presi-
idency to plan a project for them
and find the necessary work.
This quorum would like in the fu-
ture, with the aid of a fruit drier
or a canning center, to take care of
all of the products now going to
waste in their territory. These
(Concluded on page 743)
NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, BRADFORD. ENGLAND,
WHERE THE MORMON MILLENNIAL CHORUS
SANG FOR ONE WEEK.
Photo by R. P. Evans.
Captain George E. T. Eyston
was driving his Thunderbolt
over Utah's Bonneville Salt
Flats for a new official world record,
breaking his own mark of the pre-
vious year and the records of all his
illustrious predecessors. The writer
was at the center of the measured
mile, describing speed and more
speed for KSL-CBS and an inter-
national radio network. Glen Shaw
and "Wally" Sandack were cover-
ing the end positions at points each
six and one-half miles from the
center. Great Britain listened
through the facilities of the British
Broadcasting Company and had an
intimate close-up from Utah as her
favorite son of speed, the "fastest
man on earth,'' garnered more lau-
rels for his native land.
Captain Eyston told me that Mrs.
Eyston, in her British home, heard
the entire proceedings, including the
roar of the Thunderbolt's motors as
it went through the measured mile,
and felt very near the scene, as
though a continent and an ocean had
been eliminated, which, indeed, they
had been, insofar as sound may sub-
stitute for sight. Her message came
to him by telephone from London to
Wendover, Utah, an hour or so after
BRITAIN
LOOKS AT
JAe.
MORMONS
"TPhe faith of the Mormons,
which began in ridicule now
stands in dignity and respect.
They have created a worthy and
useful institution whose mem-
bers do good by teaching and by
the example of their upright
lives."— From the London "Daily
Express/' August 25, 1938.
By RICHARD L EVANS
Of the First Council of Seventy
the international broadcast had been
signed off.
Three days previous, the Captain
had made another run, a run con-
ceded to be faster than the one that
was officially counted; but after put-
ting everything into it — and besides
steel and rubber and gasoline and
engineering brains, no one will ever
know how much of the man himself
goes into those runs — failure of a
timing device disqualified the second
lap. I interviewed the Captain on
the microphone that day, and fully
expected that there would emit from
him what would have been a thor-
oughly justifiable rebuke and tirade
against fate, chance, stupidity, negli-
gence, the sun, the salt, the weather,
THE CAMERAMAN CATCHES CAPTAIN EYSTONS
"THUNDERBOLT" AS IT SPEEDS THROUGH
THE MEASURED MILE ON THE BONNEVILLE
SALT FLATS IN UTAH.
MORMON STREET MEETING ON THE CUSTOM
HOUSE STEPS, BELFAST, IRELAND.
Photo by R. P. Evans.
and all other possible contributory
causes. The intense bitterness of
his disappointment is not to be de-
nied. But, notwithstanding, he
smiled affably, and pleasantly greet-
ed the radio audience with a jest and
with an apology for having kept
them waiting so long and for having
disappointed them.
That was "cricket" you know!
With the better part of three years
spent in Great Britain, my estimate
of British fair play had already
mounted high, but this display of
supreme self-control, sportsmanship,
and generous conduct topped any-
thing I had ever seen.
The day after this brilliant but
disqualified run during which Cap-
tain Eyston ran north at 347.155
m.p.h. (he later officially established
records of 345.49 m.p.h. and 357.5
m.p.h.) a column devoted to edi-
torial comment in the London Daily
Express, one of the world's great
metropolitan newspapers, had this
to say under date of August 25,
1938:
Faster and Faster
Captain Eyston drives a car at 347 miles
an hour across the salt flats of Utah, so fast
that the photographers' planes are left be-
hind in his wake. Driving at that speed in-
(Concluded on page 758)
JPul (RsdtWlTL 0$,
SOLOMON CROSLEY
'HE STORY OF A MAN WHOSE BETTER SELF HAD GONE AFAR
AND SUDDENLY CAME BACK ONE CHRISTMAS.
s
'jlomon Crosley set
the two shining milk pails on the
table with one hand as he drew a
handful of small change and a re-
ceipted bill from his pocket with
the other.
"Well, there's yer Christmas,"
he grumbled, slapping the bill and
the money down beside the pails.
Mother Molly Crosley wiped
her hands on the corner of her
brown denim apron and took the
blue slip of paper to the kitchen
window.
"A new separator?'' she asked,
in pleased surprise. "We've need-
ed one for months and months."
"Fifteen down and the balance
at ten a month. Fur as the egg-
money would take it," he snapped.
She gasped, caught at the table
for support, her eyes searching his
scowling face for some reassurance
that her fears were false.
"But the list — the presents for
the children?" she pleaded.
"You've been a-grumblin' at
leaky buckets and a rattlin' sep'-
rator long 'nough. Time ye was
takin' some of yer egg-money fer
somethin' useful 'stead of blowin'
it on gee-gaws fer Christmas."
"Shoes and sweaters and caps
are useful," she argued, with trem-
bling lips. "There were only a few
trifles for Buddy and June."
She could speak no further, but
gathered the money into her hand
piece by piece, counting it with
By OLIVE
MAIBEN NICHOLES
painstaking care. He stood look-
ing at her, the blood slowly mount-
ing to his forehead. She looked
tired and thin and faded^not much
left of her girlish beauty. Only her
hair, still like spun silk, rippled over
her ears — one tiny, golden crescent
curled over her cheek. He longed
to kiss it, to take her in his arms,
to look with hope into her brim-
ming eyes. Why had he done this
thing? Why didn't she throw the
silver in his face; kick the milk pails
out of the door; tear the receipt into
bits and stamp them under her feet?
His anger mounted like a flame with-
in him as he turned on his heel and
stumbled into the yard.
Molly watched him go — some-
thing akin to love battling against
the tumult in her heart. Oh, how
long would it be before the miracle
would happen! How could he! How
could he! The hens were hers; she
had cared for them through the
stormy spring — through the long, hot
days of summer. She had saved
every egg, denying herself even
one for breakfast, until the two new
cases were filled with the precious
load. Then, she had made out her
list. They would bring her ten
dollars apiece at the market- — twen-
ty dollars for clothes for her chil-
dren, and a tiny bit of Christmas
cheer. If she had only gone herself,
but that had been impossible. Sol-
omon had to pay the taxes and one
trip must suffice for many errands.
She straightened herself with an
effort and looked across the room
where her daughter, Martha, stood
cleaning chickens at the kitchen
sink. Molly could not see her face
but the vigorous jerks of the round,
young arms gave evidence enough
of the anger and indignation within
her. It was getting more difficult
each day to stand as a "buffer" be-
tween Martha and her father. She
looked wearily at the straight, un-
yielding back before she could trust
herself to speak.
"There's two-fifty left, and with
today's eggs I believe we could
manage something for June and
Buddy. The boys'll have to wait.
They did so want their caps and
sweaters for the Festival tomorrow
night. Do you think you could ride
into town on the bay? He wouldn't
spare the boys."
Marty whirled about like a wild
thing. "Ma! How could you let
him get by with a thing like that?
He just gets worse and worse. Why
it's — yes, it's four years since he
spoke a decent word to anyone."
"Yes," her Mother answered, "It
is four years, come March."
Meanwhile, Solomon had entered
the stables. Two boys, one fifteen
the other thirteen years, were nois-
ily cleaning the stalls, jostling each
other with their elbows, scuffling
and giggling over each pitchfork-
load of compost.
"Well, what kind o' party do ya
call this?" he demanded, sternly.
"Teachin' Jim the fox trot, Pa.
He's purty slow learnin' the steps,"
laughed the eldest boy, upsetting
the younger brother with the fork
handle.
Solomon stepped quickly to his
son's side and struck him a sting-
ing blow across the mouth. The
boy staggered against the stall,
staring at his father with incredulous
amazement,
Solomon stared back, his heart
sick within him, then turned and
made his way dizzily to the gran-
ary. His hands trembled so he
could scarcely carry the grain to
the horses. When he did finally
reach the stable, he leaned heavily
against old Major's glossy flanks,
racked with fear.
"Whatever made me do that?"
he gasped. "I could've spoke and
he'd o' listened. Dave's a good
boy. It'll be the horses next. I
must be goin' crazy."
Molly was busy with the dinner.
720
K&A. °SPZ>^. °/%£?^ °/2%>A '
AND SO IT WAS THAT AN HOUR LATER, THE
LOAFERS, BASKING IN THE WARMTH OF THE
AIR-TIGHT STOVE, WERE STARTLED ALMOST
OUT OF THEIR WITS, WHEN HE WALKED UN-
STEADILY INTO PEDERSON'S EMPORIUM. NOT
ONCE IN FOUR YEARS HAD HE CROSSED
THAT THRESHOLD. NOW HE STOOD THERE,
WHITE AND HAGGARD.
Marty setting the table when he
entered the kitchen. He pulled up
a chair with an impatient gesture.
The mother hastened to set the
food before him, but the girl walked
leisurely back and forth, laying the
covers with exasperating slowness.
The boys came in. Marty looked
at Dave in horrified surprise,
caught her father's eyes upon her,
and turned away with disgust.
JLhe meal progressed
swiftly, each one anxious to be
through and away from the im-
pending storm. It broke at last, for
Marty, rising, turned on her father
with reckless fury.
"You can't break me, Pa, as
you're doing the rest. I'm of age
next week and I'm going away. I'll
come back and get Ma, too, some
day — a good woman has no right
to live in the same house with you."
He was too horrified to speak.
He got to his feet with an effort
and passed out into the after-
noon sunshine. Everything seemed
vague, unreal. He stopped at the
woodpile and began stacking the
cut lengths with minutest detail.
"Better go after another load;
be stormin' in a day or so," he
muttered. "Do me good to get
out in the hills, too."
A few minutes later as he drove
the team through the great gates at
the end of the lane. Buddy spied
him from the sand pile. He ran to-
ward the wagon as quickly as his
four-year-old legs could carry him,
brushing the sand from the chubby
little fingers against the patched
and faded seat of his little blue
overalls.
"Take me, Pa, take me," he beg-
ged, coming close to the wagon
wheel and holding up his arms to
be lifted.
"Pa can't take you this time,
Buddy. I'm goin' a long way."
Then, seeing the crestfallen little
figure, he whispered, "I'll get a little
Christmas tree. Ya know, ya must
not see yer Christmas things. Ya
can shut the gate fer Pa, too."
Buddy backed obediently away,
his face wreathed in smiles. Solo-
mon halted his team long enough
to see the bar glide into place and
the little boy resume his play. He
turned in the wagon seat and look-
ed behind him at the richness and
vastness of his possessions. The
two, great, red barns filled to the
ridgepoles with the finest hay in
the countryside, the huge silo and
rambling sheep-sheds, the numer-
ous granaries, bursting with tons of
corn and wheat, barley and oats.
A Jersey bull, in his well-built
pen, grumbled ominously. A dozen
sleek cows lay on the sunny slopes
of the pasture beyond. A hundred
well-bred sheep cropped leisurely
at the dry grass. Only the coops,
decayed and tumbling to pieces,
broke the pastoral harmony of the
scene.
He took his bank book from his
pocket and glanced at the latest
balance. Not so bad, with the twen-
ty new acres all paid for. Hansen
had been loath to sell at such a low
figure, but the Doctor had warned
him that every day's delay meant
years from his life. If Turner would
sell for three thousand, he would
still have a thousand left — enough
for the lambing pens and a new
pump. Turner was a fool. His land
was growing more worthless year
by year.
He glanced up from his book,
startled to find the object of his so-
liloquy before him. He had not
meant to take this road, but the
horses had turned in at the lower
lane while he was busy with his
figures. He looked across the fields
at John Turner's home, huddled
under the sweeping boughs of the
ancient elms. Two dilapidated
sheds leaned wearily against the
gaunt sides of the huge, unpainted
barn, almost empty of either straw
or hay. A lone cow cropped hun-
grily at the lank, dry weeds along
the tumble-down fence. Beyond the
house lay the impoverished fields,
rimmed by the rocky ledge from
which gushed the clear waters of
the spring. Just beyond the cruel,
barbed fence gushed life-giving
water — along its course the grass
and cress grew freshly green.
(Continued on page 759)
721
\\
0jv ihsL SiM&L
CA\ I FH ^TRAIf^HT" by joseph jacobs
V^/'vL-L-LL/ \J I IX/ Vl Vjl * President of the Patestine-Surian
in, (DomaMJUA.
President of the Palestine-Syrian
Mission
A
nd the Lord said unto him,
Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight,
and enquire in the house of judas for one called saul,
of Tarsus. . . . Acts 9:11.
for six units, piasters, the cost
price." (One U. S. cent is worth
1.75 piasters.)
That is a little high, so we offer
him three. Maybe three is too high
at that.
THE "STREET CALLED STRAIGHT"
IN DAMASCUS.
Recently I went to Damascus,
the oldest city in the world,
to visit the members of our
Church there. There, on the "street
called Straight," one becomes viv-
idly aware of the difference among
customs and people, particularly if
one desires to purchase anything:
a bar of perfumed soap in this in-
stance— oriental perfume, if you
please. It is not the artificial per-
fume, such as manufactured from
drugs or other chemicals, and sold
in Paris, but natural perfume, pre-
pared from flowers and leaves.
This is the same street to which
Apostle Paul was directed by the
Lord, to go to the house of one An-
anias to have his eyes healed. The
street has a high arch or vault of
about fifty feet. The street is dimly
lighted from small openings or
cracks in the arch. There is no side-
walk proper, so we walk right
through the street wherever we find
an opening. The street is anything
but straight. Every fifty feet or so
there is a small turn.
A little way down on the right
side, there are the stores which
handle the soap. We glance at it
sidewise. Instantly the proprietor
is by us, like the spider that has
caught a fly in its web. He pleads
with us to take the article because
of ancient friendship or for the sake
of future friendship which we shall
have with him. We ask him the
price.
"Oh, the price. Well, now, isn't
that a humiliating question? Who
said anything about the price? Can
such a thing as price be asked of
a brother? Why, for shame! Just
722
take as many bars as your heart de-
sires. Why, aren't we brothers?
Just help yourself and put them in
your brief case."
OUTSIDE VIEW OF THE FAMOUS WINDOW
THROUGH WHICH THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS
LET DOWN IN A BASKET. SCAFFOLDING IS
USED TO SUPPORT THIS ANCIENT RUIN.
Well now, that is something we
never thought of. But we insist on
knowing the value of the soap to
give him something in return.
"Oh, well, if you insist, you may
give anything you please."
"Anything?"
No, he will not mention any
amount. Just give him what you
please and whatever you give will
be satisfactory.
"Well, if that is the case we will
not take the proffered bar," and
we walk on.
"Just a minute, where are you
going? Here, this bar of soap is the
very special bar which I have been
saving for my very select custom-
ers, and of course you are one of
them. And since you are my very
best friend, and insist on giving me
something, I will let you have it
"Three units, impossible! Why,
friend, the original cost of it is six.
And what is more "
Here the merchant will launch
upon a long story. He starts from
Father Abraham down through all
the prophets in the Bible, or Mo-
hammed and his successors, then
through the New Testament, and
swears by every saint mentioned
therein to the effect that he will lose
money if he lets us have it for even
five and one-half units, but for our
friendship he will let us have it for
that.
We hesitate a little and start
to walk off. This time he calls on
the souls of his departed ancestors
and all the saints that are on the
calendar to witness the loss he is
suffering by letting us have it for
that amount. We are not con-
(Concluded on page 756)
THE CITY GATE THROUGH WHICH THE APOSTLE
PAUL WAS LED, WHILE BLIND, TO THE HOUSE
OF ANANIAS.
JhsL
NATIVE
BLOOD
By ALBERT R. LYMAN
Another gripping story comes from out of
the southwest by the author of "the
Outlaw of Navajo Mountain."
THE STORY THUS PAR: Down in
the land of the Navajos, where the
great, weird shapes of Monument Valley
punctuate the skyline of the Southwest,
Yoinsnez and his son and his daughter,
Eltceesie, live in a hogan neighboring
Husteele and his little son Peejo. But de-
spite their neighborliness in all other things
there is a bitter rivalry between the two for
the capture of a phantom horse — Beleeh
thlizhen (blackhorse) — a stallion of Arabian
type that appeared full-grown on Husk-
aniny Mesa on the Utah-Arizona line, and
which defied all efforts for his capture,
whether of trickery, stealth, or force. As
the occupants of each hogan would attempt
his capture, the occupants of the other would
lie in wait to see if they were successful.
Suddenly, however, the dread influenza
struck the hogan of Yoinsnez and crushed
the life from his son and prostrated all
others. While they were so stricken,
Husteele and Peejo sought again to capture
Blackhorse — but without success. Then the
devastating plague visited the hogan t of
Husteele. Ten days later, after Yoinsnez
had finally gained strength enough to visit
his neighbor, only eleven-year old Peejo
was still alive.
Chapter II
S.
'oftened towards his
rival by this ghastly scene of death
in his rival's hogan, Yoinsnez took
Peejo to his own roof and nursed him
with tender care. His noloki di-
vided her time between her con-
valescent Eltceesie and the neigh-
bor's son, developing for him some-
what of the kind of love expressed
by her devoted service.
With the cherished hope of ban-
ishing the invisible monster from
their neighborhood, Yoinsnez burn-
ed Husteele's home with all its
dreadful images curled or sprawling
around its gray ashes. From his
sheepskin by the fire Peejo could see
through the doorway the hateful
black smoke, and beyond it the
mighty hand raised solemnly against
the sky-line.
craving for new items of information
about Blackhorse; he talked about
him; he dreamed about him; he want-
ed the mesa king for his own more
than he wanted any other value
in the world of his narrow acquaint-
ance. Naturally enough, he wanted
Peejo to tell what he and his father
had seen in their last ride on the
mesa, but the boy declared they had
seen nothing, and he closed his
square, childish jaw in unmistakable
resolution to say no more about it.
Yoinsnez would have been quite
ready to believe they had seen noth-
ing if something in Pejo's words or
in his looks had not given the old
man's imagination a strangely curi-
ous twist. If something very unusual
had not happened on the mesa, then
all his intuitions of the years had all
gone suddenly wrong. He and his
noloki were nursing their rival's son
as they would nurse their own, yet
that ungrateful son, still jealous of
the prize for which his father had so
tenaciously contended, was with-
holding important facts which they,
as his benefactors, deserved to know.
It angered the old man — the fur-
rows deepened in displeasure across
his retreating forehead, and his long
teeth became visible between his
parted lips. He couldn't tell just
why, even when his trusting noloki
asked for his reason, but somehow
Peejo's story didn't ring true.
The emergency he had to meet
was quite enough without this vex-
ing phase of it, for after losing his
own son and having no help even
from the little girl to tend his own
horses and sheep, he had to care
for his neighbor's son as well as for
his neighbor's sheep and horses. So
he put all the horses together and
BOTH HORSE AND MAN ARE STURDY SUR-
VIVORS OF THE DESERT AND ITS DESOLATION.
Photo used by courtesy of Harry Goulding.
who runs a trading post in Monument Valley.
all the sheep together as if they
were his own. That seemed like
the only sensible thing to do, and
no one had time or vitality to agi-
tate the question of ownership.
As soon as Peejo was able to
get up from his sheepskin and stag-
ger away from the warmth of the
fire, he answered the call of press-
ing necessity by helping Eltceesie,
the ten-year-old shepherdess, with
the restless sheep. His wonted
strength had not returned, and he
had not exactly been driven to
work, but some burning urge of res-
olution or wounded pride impelled
him to shove past old Yoinsnez
without a word and to express his
independence by free service and
no complaints. His youthful soul
was bursting with emotions which
must have some form of expres-
sion, and he acted out before the
old man's frown what he scorned
to say in words.
In the cold days of that early
spring the hungry flock, the long-
legged goats in particular, raced
over the hills in frantic resolution
to find every green twig or blade
within their wide territory. The
two children, bare-footed or with
ragged moccasins, followed them
pantingly yet determinedly mile
after mile. This was to them no
matter for wonderment or protest;
it was but the regular school from
which all fit Navajos had to gradu-
ate, the hard grill to which their
fathers and mothers had subscribed
as the necessary proof they were
fit to live.
(Continued on page 764)
723
Jim. PROTESTORS
OF CHRISTENDOM
CONTINUED
By JAMES L BARKER
Head of the Department of Modern Languages at
the University of Utah, and a member of the Gen-
eral Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union
THE HUSS MONUMENT, PRAGUE, ERECTED IN
1915 IN HONOR OF JOHN HUSS, THE CZECH
REFORMER, WHO WAS BURNED AT THE STAKE
IN 1415.
The purpose of the council of Pisa
was to effect the unification of
the church, to bring about cer-
tain reforms that had been long de-
sired and which many, both orthodox
and unorthodox, had sought to find a
means of accomplishing, and to
stamp out heresy. John XXIII hoped
the council would recognize him as
pope and thus bring about unity. In
this he was disappointed; the council
deposed him and elected another.
Reforms were not accomplished. The
new pope dissolved the council be-
fore any serious reforms were un-
dertaken, though the sessions of the
council lasted from 1414 to 1418. In
the attempt to stamp out heresy,
John Huss and Jerome of Prague
were burned. Both of them gave
their lives to affirm the right of the
724
individual to follow the dictates of
his own conscience.
The emperor Sigismund was de-
sirous of stamping out heresy in Bo-
hemia and sent two knights to invite
Huss to appear before the council.
He urged his brother, King Wen-
ceslaus of Bohemia, to send Huss to
Constance; he promised to furnish
Huss with a safe-conduct, and "He
caused Huss to be informed . . .
that he would make sufficient pro-
vision for his being heard before the
council, and that if he did not sub-
mit to the decision of the council, he
would send him back unharmed to
Bohemia."14
Neander quotes the instrument
relating to Huss's journey to and
from Constance: "Ut ei transire,
stare, morari, redire libere permit-
tatis"15 (That there to go, stay, re-
14Neander-Torrey, Church History, vol. IX, II, p.
458:
13Neander-Torrey, Church History, vol. IX, II, p.
458.
main, and return freely thou
be permitted." ) and says, "Huss
was taken unconditionally under the
protection of the emperor and the
empire, as it speaks not only of his
journey to Constance but also of his
return home unharmed from Con-
stance."15 The best case for the em-
peror and the council is presented
by Funk; however it is doubtful if
the case is any better for the de-
fense: "The safe-conduct granted
to Huss by Sigismund promised pro-
tection for the journey, for the return
journey only on the assumption that
it took place. The emperor also, by
word of mouth, promised Huss a free
hearing, probably even in the case of
Huss's refusing to submit to the rul-
ing of the council. This promise
was, however, not valid according
to canon [church] law. The coun-
cil claimed a right to deal with Huss
[it did so expressly September 25,
1415], in spite of the formal escort
provided by the sovereign; on the
other hand it dismissed as untenable
the view that promises made to here-
tics generally are not binding, and
the emperor could not gainsay it
without endangering the continuance
of the assembly. Hence the impos-
sibility in which the emperor found
himself of fulfilling his verbal prom-
ise must absolve him from the im-
putation of unfaithfulness."18
Huss could have remained in Bo-
hemia, concealed, if not openly, as
he and the knight of Chlum main-
tained at his hearing, but he con-
sidered it to be his duty to defend
himself against the charge of heresy.
Setting out before receiving the em-
peror's safe-conduct, Huss arrived
in Constance, November 3, and his
friends announced his arrival to John
XXIII, who had arrived three days
before.
Huss took quarters in the home of
a poor widow by the city wall and
was surprised to see the pomp of
prelates and princes as they arrived
in Constance. Immediately Huss's
enemies sought to influence the coun-
cil against him; among the most ac-
tive was Wenzel Tiem whom Huss
had opposed in the sale of indul-
gences.
Huss stood for the rights of the
individual conscience, and the coun-
cil, representing the church, for au-
thority. Chancellor Gerson and
others desired the reformation of
the church and were willing to place
the council above the pope to secure
reform, but they were not willing
that private judgment should assert
(Continued on page 757)
18Berger in Funk, A Manual of Church History, vol.
II, p. 37.
The story of our
HYMNS
The Author
The life of John Henry Newman,
the author of "Lead, Kindly
Light," is full of gentleness,
doubt, courage, and faith. He was
born in London, February 21, 1801.
His father was a banker and his
mother a descendant of the Hugue-
nots. As a child he was timid and
like many other boys had a super-
stitious fear of being left alone in the
dark. At the early age of seven he
entered a private school; at eight he
read Scott's stories in bed at early
dawn; at eleven he wrote a drama,
and at fourteen a burlesque opera.
Music was a part of the Newman
family life. He played the violin-
cello and "could follow the melody
of a complicated symphony." At an
early age the spirit of disputation was
displayed in the publication of
papers called The Spy and the Anti-
Spy, each written against the other.
He was converted to the English
Church at fifteen, and later wrote
"I am still more certain of it than
that I have hands and feet." He
entered Trinity College, at Oxford,
December 14, 1816, and is said to
have been "shy, quiet, unattractive,
with a timid face in which two eyes
blinked behind silver rimmed spec-
tacles."
At twenty-eight Newman became
vicar of St. Mary's, the University
Church at Oxford, and preached for
fifteen years. Students flocked to
hear him, among whom were Glad-
stone and Froude. Gladstone af-
terwards said; "His sermons were
always read and his eyes were al-
ways bent on the book. But take
the man as a whole there was a stamp
and seal upon him; there was a
solemn sweetness and music in his
tone; there was a completeness in
the figure, taken together with the
tone and manner, which made even
his delivery singularly attractive."
Froude likened him to Julius Caesar,
By GEORGE D. PYPER
General Superintendent of the Deseret
Sunday School Union and First Assist-
ant Chairman of the Church Music
Committee
XXXV.
<&acL, Jtindli^ 3UqPdi
Words by
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
Music by
JOHN B. DYKES
LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT
By Rev. John H. Newman
LEAD, kindly Light, amid the en-
circling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from
home —
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to
see
The distant scene — one step enough
for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that
Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path;
but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of
fears, *
Pride ruled my will; remember not
past years!
So long Thy power hath blest me,
sure it still will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and
torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces
smile,
Which I have loved long since, and
lost awhile!
and Disraeli classed him "the most
remarkable religious teacher to have
appeared in England for several cen-
turies."
In 1828 began what was termed
the Oxford movement into which
John Henry Newman was plunged
and soon became its central figure.
He finally insisted upon a "recogni-
tion of an unbroken connection be-
tween the primitive church and the
church of England." It was during
this controversy that he, in Decem-
ber, 1 832, took a vacation to South-
ern Europe. Along the beautiful
Mediterranean coast he became spir-
itually disquieted. The Liberal
movement fretted him. He longed
to get back to England to battle
against religious indifference. He
fell ill of a fever and when partly
recovered took passage from Paler-
mo, Sicily, for Marseilles. The ship
was becalmed a whole week in the
straits of Bonifacio between Sardinia
and Corsica, and there at sea, on
June 16, 1833, he wrote "Lead,
Kindly Light."
Upon his return to England, New-
man, resuming his activity in the
Liberal fight, gradually argued him-
self out of the Church of England,
and became a Catholic. He left
Oxford in 1845, and journeyed to
Rome, where he was ordained a
priest with the degree of Doctor of
Divinity. In 1854 he was appointed
Rector of the Catholic University
at Dublin, Ireland.
In 1879, at the age of 76, he was
created a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII.
He died in Birmingham, England,
August 11, 1890.
The Hymn
Tt is extremely interesting to read
of the unrest, spiritually, among
the people of England and America
during the first half of the nineteenth
century. In England, the Oxford
movement stirred the souls of men.
In America the cry of "lo here and lo
there" caused much excitement and
disquiet among the people. And in
the midst of the great unrest a new
prophet appeared on the religious
(Concluded on page 754)
725
LOOKING
TOWARD
W
HILE
I crossed the Great
American Desert by auto-
mobile, at fifty miles an
hour, my mind reverted to the Pio-
neers, walking fifteen miles a day
in heat and dust — -tomorrow and
tomorrow the desert — their final
destination still the desert — in their
minds the vivid picture of the com-
fortable homes, fruitful fields, and
smiling gardens of Nauvoo "The
Beautiful." Awaiting them was the
almost impossible task of making
the barren and forbidden desert
blossom like a rose.
Their wise leaders brought seeds
of trees, vegetables, and grains.
Some of the women brought a few
seeds of dearly loved flowers from
their forsaken gardens. When the
tiny log cabin or adobe house was
built, they eagerly planted some of
the precious seeds, and more eagerly
watched for the tender shoots and
opening leaves, seeing in imagina-
tion the longed-for blossoms. When
they came literally into bloom, their
joy was too deep for words, but
1947
By ROSE W. BENNETT
Of the Church Beautification
Committee
XT EARLY A CENTURY OF SUBDUING,
CULTIVATING, REDEEMING,
BEAUTIFYING, SOWING AND REAPING, AND SPREADING OUT OVER THE
BARREN WASTES AND EVEN SO, THERE ARE STILL WASTE PLACES
TO BE REDEEMED AND UNSIGHTLY PLACES TO BE BEAUTIFIED, AS
WE LOOK TOWARD THE CENTURY MARK.
labor with our might to redeem and
beautify our homes, our churches,
brought tears of thanksgiving and and other public buildings, our com-
love for the soil that responded to
the longing for beauty in their
weary, hungry, beauty-loving hearts.
My mother came from England,
munities, stakes, wards, our high-
ways, roads, streets, bridges, ditch
banks, recreation centers, parks —
whatever needs our care, before the
a land of forests, beautiful parks, hundredth anniversary of the coming
and gardens. From earliest child-
hood, I remember her garden. How
joyfully she dug, planted, and nur-
tured it. She loved the soil, and
it responded gladly to her care.
Common or rare, everything grew.
Her small corner of the desert blos-
somed beautifully and gladdened all
who looked on it.
Her story is the story of all the
Pioneers. As a result, today our
desert is clothed in beauty.
Time, the relentless, has told off
the years until almost a century has
of the Pioneers. Shall we meet the
challenge? Shall all the desert blos-
som and be glad? Our answer is yes!
The next question is, how shall
we begin? The first step is organ-
ization. This step has already been
taken by the Church in the Church
Welfare Program. The committees
appointed by the presidents of stakes conditions and surroundings, county,
and bishops of wards are the ma- city, stake or ward,
chinery by which these programs are
to be actively promoted in the
Church.
The State of Utah has effected a
DESERT LANDSCAPE
From a painting by j. B. Fairbanks.
University of Utah, the B. Y. U. of
Provo, our state and federal agencies
for roads, forests, etc.
The Forestry Department can
help with trees, shrubs, evergreens,
etc., that may be available for use in
beautification of our local surround-
ings.
There are many fine articles in our
daily newspapers. (See M. I. A.
Adult Department Manual 1938-39
for its beautification project. )
Our next step is to make a thor-
ough survey of our own local set-up,
slipped into the past since the com- similar organization for the beauti-
ing of our ancestors into the wilder-
ness— a hundred years of subduing,
cultivating, redeeming, beautifying,
sowing and reaping, growing, and
spreading out over the barren wastes.
fication of our communities in com-
memoration of the one-hundredth
anniversary of the coming of the
Pioneers; so there are many agencies
We must list carefully the good
and bad, the beautiful and the ugly,
the necessary and the useless, the
desirable and the undesirable; things
to be repaired, things to be destroy-
ed. We must catalog all our local
natural resources- — where and how
they are to be obtained and also our
human resources : our leaders — civic^
But there are still waste places to be of our program. Just to mention a
at our disposal for the forwarding religious, recreational, professional;
redeemed and established, com-
munities to be renovated, improved,
and made more beautiful. Our
borders have extended; new com-
munities have arisen; much pioneer
labor must still be done.
1847-1 947. Soon comes 1 939. Less
than nine years remain in which to
726
few:
The state will furnish us with its
program, and a list of agencies work-
ing on the project.
We have our own comprehensive
program, furnished by the Church
to stake and ward committees.
The U. S. A. C. of Logan, the
people in every line of endeavor
necessary to put over our project.
We may organize committees of men
and women under the established
Church Welfare Committee, and set
to work. If we begin with the things
that most need improving and beau-
tifying, we shall more quickly show
the improvement in our community.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Now for action!
From the survey made and tabu-
lated, let us make a comprehensive
community program, to include pub-
lic buildings, churches, homes, fac-
tories, farms, recreational centers,
parks, highways, and set committees
or organizations to work on the par-
ticular work assigned to them.
In the planting of flowers, shrubs,
and trees, we should find out what
was planted by the Pioneers who first
came into our section of the country,
and plant some of them again in our
gardens, and thus keep alive the
spirit and beauty representative of
our Pioneers.
"Pvery Pioneer garden had its herb
patch near the house where
mint, sage, savory, catnip, and many
other savory and sweet-scented
herbs grew. Often also lavender,
lemon plant, sweet-scented gerani-
um, old man, and a broad-leafed
sweet-scented plant we called "old
woman." Then among the flowers
one would find sweet rocket, flags,
stocks, lady slippers, moss roses, the
vivid yellow rose with its sharp,
rather bitter perfume. The first
settlers must also have used the
flowers and shrubs and trees that
grew about them.
Thrift and beauty are good com-
panions. Nature puts on a new
dress each spring. If you can't
paint up, whitewash up.
Hedges of currant and other fruit-
bearing shrubs could mark the
boundaries around the farm, and the
division fences between fields, along
irrigation ditches, around the home
vegetable garden, around the farm
buildings, and along the road-side
fence. Shrubs, trees, and flowers
FOUNTAIN AND ROCK GARDEN AT THE HOME
OF THE AUTHOR, ROSE W. BENNETT.
that are natural in your vicinity
could also be planted in this way,
and these natural hedges would add
the beauty to our fields that makes
the European landscape so lovely;
and would also provide fruit, as in
the Pioneer days. Also, along these
hedges we could drop seeds of wild
asters — purple and yellow, golden-
rod, sunflowers, poppies, larkspur,
bachelor's buttons, cosmos and many
other flowers you can think of that
seed themselves after the first plant-
ing. Year after year, they give
beauty to the landscape, and afford
heaps of cut flowers for home and
church decoration.
If you have many rocks about,
make a rock garden, or use them for
borders about your garden. Stack
them in a corner and fill the crevices
with soil, and plant them with low
growing flowers or creeping plants,
ivy, etc. If you have many, and
they are large rocks, make your di-
vision fences of them; or, if rocks are
put in front of fence plantings, they
will keep the plants within bounds.
Flat rocks make ideal dry paths un-
der clothes lines, and if there is lawn
to set them in, beauty is also added.
One shrub much recommended
for planting in home grounds, church
and public grounds, parks, etc.; in
fact, any place where a shrub is de-
sirable, is the lilac. It is disease-
proof, beautiful in blossom, or as a
leafy shrub, will grow anywhere,
and is not hard to care for. There
are many varieties to choose from,
and many shades of color — from
white, through light purple to almost
red. The Persian variety is the most
satisfactory of all. There are many
other desirable flowering shrubs.
Along the ditches that run beside so
many of our country roads, let us
gather the seeds of the native water
GARDEN PATH BORDERED BY FLOWERS AND
SHRUBS, AT THE HOME OF THE AUTHOR, ROSE
W. BENNETT.
plants, and systematically plant them
at intervals sufficiently close to as-
sure a continual stretch of color.
Buttercups, monkey flowers — many
others you will find there, and, at in-
tervals, the lordly cattail, bullrush,
kept within bounds, also the lovely
Iris (flags) love a ditch bank — and
a clear space here and there for
health-giving watercress. Beyond
the ditch, near the fence, trees, na-
tive shrubs, sunflowers, bee flowers
(Cleome), goldenrod, wild asters,
chicory — the lovely blue flower seen
in some localities (blue flowers are
rare, and should be cultivated),
hollyhocks, cosmos, and castor
beans. There should be no ugly va-
cant spots about a home.
T et us use all available local re-
sources before sending elsewhere
for materials. Remember, we are
pioneers in our own locality; we are
on our metal; resolved to make our
community peculiar to itself, and
famous for the things of value it has
and does — perhaps certain flowers
or fruits, livestock, farm products,
handicrafts, or other cultural things
— homes built of local materials and
planted with native trees and shrubs,
as far as possible.
As home owners we should first
improve and beautify our own homes,
and surroundings, and then help our
neighbor, if he needs help. We
should find a use, through our com-
mittees or clubs, for all surplus
plants, seeds, and shrubs. Home-
grown seeds are fresh and full of
life. In saving seeds, it is wise to
allow only the first few seed pods to
ripen — they are usually the best.
Then we should cut off all other
(Concluded on page 744)
727
THE CHURCH IN
NEW YORK BAY BETWEEN MANHATTAN AND
GOVERNOR'S ISLAND, ABOUT AS IT APPEARED
IN PARLEY P. PRATT'S TIME.
FOR a century the Church has met
the spiritual and social needs
of its people in the rural West.
What has it to offer the urban East?
Such was the challenge four years
ago, when, after one hundred and
four years, the Church organized a
stake in the state of its birth. And
such continues to be the challenge
today, because never before or since
has a stake been organized in such
a populous or congested area — and
here the world will look for an an-
swer to this question.
The New York Stake occupies a
strip of land and water one hundred
miles long by forty wide. It includes
all of the city of Greater New York,
Metropolitan New Jersey, West-
chester County, the whole of Long
Island, and draws from the north as
far as Stamford, Connecticut. More
than four hundred miles of coast
line embroider its meandering east-
ern boundaries. In spite of its geo-
graphic extensiveness, however, the
great majority of its members reside
within an area twenty miles square,
situated in the heart of the metro-
politan district.
In this area is concentrated a
population of eleven million people.
From daybreak till 10 a. m., its three
million breadwinners converge on
the city's laboring centers by boat,
train, trolley, automobile, taxi, ele-
vated lines, buses, and subways.
From 4 p. m. to 6 p. m., the home-
ward journey radiates its human
waves in a fan-like pattern back to
the city's dwelling places. By 7:30
p. m., the bright lights of Broadway,
728
By WILLIAM L WOOLF
Of the New York Stake Presidency
jpor nearly a century the church has met the spiritual
and social needs of its people in the rural west.
What has it to offer the urban East? What can it do
in the state of its birth — in the world 's greatest metrop-
OLIS? The WORLD WILL look for an ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION.
have reached their homes in the
morning hours, the sober-headed
early workers have started to repeat
the inward rush of another day.
From dawn to dawn, this rushing to
and fro has netted the transportation
companies ten million fares, a figure
well-designed to maintain strap
hanging in top place among New
York City's "indoor sports."
But the day has netted more than
fares. One hundred thousand vis-
itors will have registered in six hun-
dred hotels with one hundred fifty
thousand rooms. One and a quar-
ter million school children will have
dodged to school, exposed them-
selves to modern education, and
ventured home again. The stock
exchange will have done a business
of $10,000,000. Seventeen million
dollars worth of goods will have
been manufactured in the city's
many factories; and retail stores
employing four hundred thousand
people will have sold two million
dollars worth of goods. Ten million
dollars in merchandise, silver, or
gold will have been imported or ex-
ported through the Lower Bay, and
Uncle Sam will have collected on
«ffi>i*sm» chum*.
mmwJt/m^^^^^^^^i^
EXTERIOR, MANHATTAN CHAPEL
like the pulling force of the moon,
reverse the human tide, this time to
reconverge on the city's amusement
places. By 11 p. m., the outbound
current is strong again, but before
the last lingering outbound revelers
NEW YORK CITY
LOWER NEW YORK TODAY AS SEEN FROM THE BAY
imported goods a half million dol-
lars in duties. One murder will
have been committed, forty felonies,
and two thousand lesser crimes.
Three people will have committed
suicide; ten to fifteen will have died
of alcoholism, and ten times as many
from other causes. Two hundred
couples will have been married.
Three hundred babies will have been
born in two hundred hospitals. One
hundred fires will have broken out;
the city governments will have bor-
rowed, or otherwise acquired, three
million dollars, and twenty thousand
policemen will have had a very busy
day.
Among the actors in this pageant
of the masses are men and women of
every human race. In fact, a for-
eign accent is a visitor's first im-
pression of the play. Two and a
quarter million descendants of Judah
walk the boards, and three hundred
thousand who bear the mark of
Ham. Of the foreign born, a half
million Russians share a bow with
half a million men of Italy, and a
quarter million sons of Erin balance
the stage against a quarter million
Poles. In diminishing numbers are
Germany's pro- and anti-Nazis,
Great Britain's English, Scotch, and
Welsh; men from Austria; Nor-
wegians, Swedes, and Danes, and
representatives of every country on
the globe.
Among these teeming millions, not
unlike the proverbial needle in a
haystack, are two thousand men and
women who term themselves Latter-
SECOND PRESIDENCY OF NEW YORK STAKE
(LEFT TO RIGHT): WILLIAM L. WOOLF, FIRST
COUNSELOR; DR. HARVEY FLETCHER, PRESI-
DENT; IVOR SHARP, SECOND COUNSELOR.
day Saints. Of the total population,
one in every six thousand is a Mor-
mon. If this same ratio prevailed
in Utah, Salt Lake City would have
twenty, Ogden five, and Logan two.
TX^ho are these two thousand who,
living in the world, knowing
what it has to offer, are by choice
followers of Jesus and believers in
a modern prophet? As you may
have surmised, their backgrounds
are as diverse as those of the people
among whom they live, their differ-
ences being limited only by their
numbers. Among them are to be
found descendants of the early
Church stalwarts; grandsons or
great grandsons of Hyrum Smith,
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball,
Jedediah M. Grant, Bishop Edward
Partridge, George Q. Cannon,
Erastus Snow, Amasa M. Lyman,
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
FIRST NEW YORK STAKE PRESIDENCY (LEFT
TO RIGHT): HOWARD S. BENNION, FIRST COUN-
SELOR; FRED G. TAYLOR, PRESIDENT; HAKON
HAGLUND, SECOND COUNSELOR.
the Pratt Brothers, General Wells,
and many others. These people, like
some thirty per cent, of the New
York Stake population, are west-
ern born and reared, but New York-
ers by adoption. There are also
many converts, comprising the
American-born or local Saints, and
converts from overseas, including
Scandinavians, Swiss, Germans,
Dutch, Czechs, and others.
Their occupations are as diverse
as their backgrounds. Among them
are scientists, teachers, engineers,
lawyers, doctors, artists, architects,
builders, manufacturers, account-
ants, stenographers, insurance men,
furriers, tailors, restauranteurs, sea-
men, superintendents, decorators,
promoters, brokers, real estate men,
salesmen, inventors, investment ad-
visers, bankers, statisticians, econo-
mists, buyers, musicians, dancers,
actors, taxidermists, authors, clerks,
and scores of others. During the
week, they ply their trades to earn
a living among the city's millions.
But on Sunday, they are glad to
meet together in an atmosphere en-
tirely different, where the law of
the brother's keeper supersedes the
law of competition, and the law of
gain gives way to the golden rule.
The meetinghouse is an oasis where
the Priesthood takes control, shut-
ting out the contentious "isms" of
the times — a place, where one's spirit
gains new strength feeding on the
Word of God, and one quaffs again
at the fountain of Him who said,
"Whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him, shall never
thirst." The New York Stake is a
fine example of divergent peoples
made one in spirit, in purpose, and
in love through the mellowing in-
fluence of the Gospel.
730
Here also are located the head-
quarters of the Eastern States Mis-
sion. A valiant band of crusaders
have borne the Gospel standard in
New York City, a partial list includ-
ing Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt,
Samuel Brannan, Wilford Wood-
ruff, John Taylor, William H. Miles,
John Pingree, Samuel W. Richards,
Alonzo P. Kesler, William H. Smart,
E. H. Snow, John G. McQuarrie,
PARLEY P. PRATT, WHO INTRODUCED THE
RESTORED GOSPEL TO NEW YORK CITY
Ben E. Rich, Walter P. Monson,
George W. McCune, B. H. Roberts,
Henry H. Rolapp, James H. Moyle,
Don B. Colton, and Frank Evans.
The Mission Home is situated at
155 Riverside Drive, overlooking the
famous Hudson River, the inland
route to a great continent, and for
three centuries the prize of kings.
Through this harbor, for a hundred
years have passed more Saints im-
migrating to America or going to
Europe on missions than perhaps
all other harbors combined. It was
the landing place in Brigham's day
of the Nevada, the Arizona, the
Wisconsin, the Manhattan, and
other famous ships, which brought
boatload after boatload of our con-
verted ancestors to American shores.
Overlooking its broad expanse.
President Frank Evans and Mrs.
Evans and an efficient office force
are comfortably housed, as they
labor to keep the Mission efficient
in every respect.
The New York Stake, with which
the Mission has no official connec-
tion, is divided into four wards, two
independent and two dependent
branches: Queens, Brooklyn, East
Orange, and Manhattan wards, Bay
Ridge, Westchester, North Jersey,
and Ocean Side branches.
The fourth largest ward is Man-
hattan, which shares with the stake
a beautiful and spacious chapel in a
Broadway hotel at 76th Street. The
chapel and church office are rented
on a full-time basis, providing great-
ly appreciated facilities for union
meetings, quarterly conferences,
stake president's office, bishop's
offices, stake employment office, and
all ward functions. Its gymnasium
is in constant use, its being the only
gymnasium in the stake at all times
available to stake membership. It
is convenient to Columbia Univer-
sity, where several members of the
Church are usually enrolled. Man-
hattan Ward is about evenly di-
vided between unmarried students
and young people from the West
and converts of German descent.
It is fully organized and led the
Church last year in fast offerings
per capita. It entertains many vis-
itors and investigators and spares
no effort to conduct programs with
appeal to all classes in the great
metropolis.
TThese thriving wards and branches
have not been built in a day.
(Continued on page 754)
INTERIOR MANHATTAN WARD CHAPEL
"I
COMMONPLACE
THINGS
would be a cinch,"
I often told myself. "If I only had
something to stimulate my ambition
and ability!" I could not, for finan-
cial reasons, pack my grip and tour
the world until I found the desired
spot, circumstance, and condition
which would ignite the spark of my
ability and hand me over to the world
a flaming young novice, to become,
in a few years, someone's favorite,
well-known author. So I curled up
in an old-fashioned armchair, before
a big open fireplace, and there, while
a drizzling fall rain beat a march time
measure on the window-pane, I
watched the dying embers slowly
cool and crumble to ashes. I'd just
have to go on being another com-
monplace young woman, because I
was tied to a commonplace environ-
ment. I pulled the robe snugly
around my legs and mourned my
plight — the flame of my ambition
killed by commonplace things.
My thoughts were just leading me
into a very disagreeable mood,
when they were interrupted by the
sound of footsteps on the porch,
followed by a quick knock.
Who could it be? I lifted the latch
and opened the door. Peering out
into the darkness, I could make out
what appeared to be a drenched
young lady.
"Are you Babs?" she asked, push-
ing back a soaked felt hat.
"Why, yes, I am."
"I'm Thressa McDonald. Carrie
Mace told me to stop with you.
Carrie's one of my best friends."
"I'm always glad to know a friend
of Carrie's. Carrie is one of my
best friends, too," I told her, as I
helped her off with her luxurious fur
coat. "You'd better slip out of those
shoes. How did you get so wet?"
"My car stopped down by the
bend. It wouldn't budge; so I just
bailed out and footed it." She
laughed, "I'm always doing some-
thing like this."
I soon had her warm and com-
fortable. She was a very pretty girl,
blonde and with laughing gray eyes.
I learned that her father was a big
banker in New York, and she the
only child. She had met Carrie there
and the two had been great friends
ever since Carrie had escaped from
this "hole" and its commonplace
surroundings and had gone to New
A SHORT
SHORT
STORY
By ROBERTA PLATT
York to live with her wealthy aunt.
"Carrie told me you were one of
America's minor authors." She
spoke from the depths of the arm-
chair.
"You mean she mentioned my
whim to write," I corrected.
"Is it just a whim?"
"Well, that's about all it has
amounted to."
"But — why?"
"Just this," I waved my hand
around the room, "and that out there.
There isn't anything to become
poetic or literary about. What I
need is something inspiring, if you
see what I mean."
"I do, and I know." At last some-
one understood.
It was with this introduction that
the conversation came to center on
me and my career. The wind had
gone down, the rain had ceased and
the clock above the fireplace had
doled out the hour of two, before
we called our conversation to a close.
"I nearly forgot," Thressa Mc-
Donald said as she arose. "Carrie
sent you a letter by me. Here it is."
I showed my guest to her room,
but I was too excited to go to bed.
Tomorrow was nearly here. To-
morrow! The day I had always
dreamed about. From now on it
would be New York for me! New
York, bright lights, dressing for din-
ners, nights at the opera, and Thres-
sa McDonald, the daughter of New
York's wealthiest banker. She un-
derstood and liked me. She be-
lieved in me. I danced up and
down the length of the room. I
would write, write, write! The
things I would see and do would be
my inspiration and I would write.
What would Carrie think about
Thressa's most generous offer?
Then I remembered Carrie's letter.
Hastily I tore open the envelope.
It began:
Dearest Babs,
I'm homesick tonight, so if I get senti-
mental just toss me overboard. I don't know
what ails me. Aunt Marg says I'm queer.
So queer I am— if Aunt Marg says so.
I'm just sick to come home again. I've
often wondered if things have changed
much. Do the kids still play ball in the
vacant lot, and does the old woman still
scrape her frying pan?
JfuNNY, Carrie would re-
member that. I smiled as I thought
of the queer little rock image in the
cliff across the fields west of the
house. When we were kids we had
pictured it as an old lady standing
in the doorway scraping out scraps
from her frying pan to a busy little
dog on the steps. I read on:
Gee, Babs, but wouldn't I like a dollar for
every time we've waded the creek, pushed
our way through those oaks, and climbed
the steep old cliff, only to find that the old
lady had gone back in her rock house and
closed the door behind her. I'll never forget
the time when your disappointment was so
great that you dropped that tousled red head
of yours in my lap and cried for at least
twenty minutes.
Yes, Aunt Marg says I'm queer. She
said any twenty-year-old girl who would
talk of riding nine miles over a canyon road
on a hayrack is a queer person. I wouldn't
argue with her. She wouldn't understand
about the memories this holds for me.
Do you remember, Babs? It was cool
in the evenings after the sun had dropped
behind the mountains. I shall never forget
the times when your dad lifted us on the
wagon. He always fixed us a place with a
little hay and a quilt. It was as comfortable
as an upholstered car seat, wasn't it? Re-
member how we would swing our feet over
the edge of the rack, singing as we moved
(Concluded on page 756)
731
"WINE IS A MOCKER
//
By EVA WILLES WANGSGARD
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging,
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not
wise." Proverbs XX: 1.
Ever since the beginnings of his-
tory the prophets and teachers
of the people have been search-
ing for an effective way of combating
the evil of beverage alcohol, for its
use has always been admittedly an
evil. The early method and the
most usual has been for the leaders
to warn the people against its ill
effects and to preach concerning
their slackening morals. The Greeks
varied this by using the example of
an intoxicated slave at a banquet
which the young men attended with
their elders.
During all this time, alcohol was
generally considered by doctors and
laymen alike to be a stimulant. This
assumption was based chiefly on
observation. The person under the
influence of alcohol is characterized
by a flushed skin and a rapid pulse.
These are two symptoms commonly
linked with the effects of a stimulant.
Recent investigations, however,
have disclosed the fact that these
symptoms are produced by the re-
laxing of the nerve control, which
effect is the reverse of stimulation.
In this, as in other ways, "wine is a
mocker."
Before we proceed further let us
stop to define the words stimulant
and narcotic. Obviously, we can
neither condemn nor condone a sub-
stance intelligently or convincingly
until we can prove its nature and its
effects on the human system. A
stimulant is a drug which will rouse
the recipient to activity or which will
quicken his action. A narcotic is a
depressant, causing relaxation, sleep,
and, in sufficient quantities, death.
To simplify, we might say that a
stimulant renders a person more
sensitive and a narcotic makes him
less sensitive.
The investigations and experi-
ments which this article discusses
were conducted in the Nutrition
Laboratory of the Carnegie Institute
of Washington, D. C, in Boston,
Massachusetts, May 28th, 1915.
They were the work of Doctor Ray-
mond Dodge and Doctor Francis
G. Benedict. Their processes and
732
results were published in their book,
Psychological Effects of Alcohol,
An Experimental Investigation of
the Effects of Moderate Doses of
Alcohol on a Related Group of
N euro-Muscular Processes in Man.
This book is now out of print, but
may be read at the libraries of the
University of Utah and the Utah
State Agricultural College and in
many other school and public libra-
ries throughout the nation.
These scientists felt that there had
been a great deal of desultory ex-
perimental attention given to alcohol
but no exhaustive study as there had
been of proteins, carbohydrates, and
fats. They laid out a plan of pro-
cedure two years before they were
able to begin their experiments and
distributed that plan widely among
the scientists of the world. It met
with such widespread approval that
they knew they had planned to fill a
long-felt need. Many eminent
scientists, whom they list in their
preface, wrote encouraging letters
and sent in helpful suggestions.
Of course, they met a great many
technical and practical difficulties,
but they chose their subjects with
great care, eliminated such compli-
cations as could be eliminated, and
in every way secured as reliable data
as is possible to obtain from human
subjects in the time they had to
devote to the work. They devoted
a year to this particular study.
They desired to try their experi-
ments on all classes of subjects, i. e.,
total abstainers, occasional users,
moderate drinkers, habitual drinkers
who took less than thirty cubic
centimeters per day, and excessive
drinkers. Of these, the first and last
were the most difficult to secure.
With the first group the difficulty
lay in getting the abstainer to take
a drink, even for experimental pur-
poses. With the last group, the dif-
ficulty lay in getting the subjects to
leave alcohol alone long enough to
get a normal reaction. The subjects
were required to be of legal age and
to be college graduates. The greater
number of them were medical stu-
dents and young doctors.
Next, it was necessary that the
subject be kept in ignorance concern-
ing whether or not he had imbibed
alcohol. You can readily see that
personal opinion would have influ-
enced the results had the subject
been aware. Therefore, the dosage
of alcohol was masked in a bitter
drink. On all the experimental days
this drink was given, but only on
specific days was the alcohol present.
As a standard dose they used
thirty cubic centimeters of alcohol.
In some experiments this was in-
creased. For instance, in a twelve-
hour experiment the subject took
twelve cubic centimeters every hour
for eight hours. In another, the
dosage was forty-five cubic centi-
meters and in a third and fourth
the dosage was one hundred fifty
cubic centimeters and two hundred
twenty-five, respectively.
All the experiments were con-
ducted in a specially constructed
laboratory room with uniform light-
ing and scientific ventilation.
TThe first experiment consisted in
testing the knee-jerk. The
stimulus was a sudden blow on the
petellar tendon. It was done with
a uniform percussion hammer, strik-
ing at a uniform place, with the limb
in a uniform position. Both the
swing of the leg and the time of the
response were measured by a scien-
tific apparatus. While individuals
differed widely in this test and the
same individual differed at different
times, all these variations were con-
sidered and the results were obtained
with full understanding of them.
The conclusions are that even with
the dosage as low as thirty cubic
centimeters, the response was slower
{Continued on page 743)
TO HARRISON R. MERRILL
In Memoriam
By Claire Stewart Boyer
You were the West! Your royal wel-
coming
To peak and gorge and waterfall and vale
Was picturesque and ardent as the tale
Of pioneer and redman; you could bring
New freedom to the mind whose question-
ing
Had wearied it, new courage to the frail
Heart that had wandered on the downward
trail,
New hope to him whose spirit willed to sing!
You are the West! A symbol of its might!
A cornerstone of granite that will keep
Tradition as an everlasting light
Within our lives! You do not lie asleep!
You live and walk as always in our sight,
Building the West more sure, more true,
more deep!
TO "H. R. M."
By Catherine Maughan, one of his students
HE shook you by the hand and searched
your soul
And found whatever good it had
And was your friend.
You felt his joy and sense and poetry,
Resolved to know him better
And were glad.
"A genial figure from our school
Is missing. Hope to see him soon again,"
The paper says.
And then,
"He's dead," they say.
"He's gone . . ."
But by-and-by our grief will pass,
And leave us thoughtfulness, and thankful-
ness
For knowing him.
We'll wonder if perchance he sees us yet,- —
And try for worthwhile things.
His life has added something to our halls.
His memory can never pass away.
LUXEMBOURG GARDENS,
CHRISTMAS DAY
(From a book to be published in December,
"Paris Cycle.")
By Ruth Harwood
A feeling of utter peace pervades the
** gardens today. The sun has come
forth to give a golden benediction, and the
birds are joining with their own Christmas
carols.
The bare trees are a delicate network
against the sky. The blue mist, so typical
of Paris, blends the tiniest twigs into a
phantom winter foliage of it's own.
This is a season of silence and searching;
a time when roots are pushing deep into
the primal earth, and empty twigs are
sentient with their prophecy of leaves.
Thoughts of perfume and of opened
petals are but dim dreams along the misty
vistas of tomorrow.
WINGS
By Maud Merritt
IF I could grow a pair of wings
I'd fly up to the stars,
Stop in for tea with Venus,
And play croquet with Mars.
I'd beg a ring from Saturn
And from Jupiter a moon
And search the music of the spheres
To copy off a tune.
I'd snatch a bit of Heaven's blue
To tie around my waist
While seeing if the Milky Way
Was seasoned to my taste.
I'd steal a bit of star-dust
To use in making wishes
And cut a lining from a cloud . . .
To help me wash the dishes.
And yet ... I wonder if those wings
Would tangle up my apron-strings?
« ■♦ ■
A PRAYER SONNET
By Olive C.Wehr
Dear God, O let me not one hour forget
How very soon my little candle's light
May flicker out within the waiting night,
And leave the pattern all unfinished yet!
There is no time to falter, nor to fret,
Nor waste the precious hours in vain
delight,
Nor yet in thoughtless word of pride or
spite,
With life's one challenge evaded or half met!
But, remembering the utter preciousness
Of every hour, O may I grow serene
And big, apart from every pettiness!
May I, with hands and thoughts both strong
and clean,
But weave into my tiny life's design
That immortal pattern of the plan divine.
CHRISTMAS PLEA
By Christie Lund Coles
Again tonight I hear the Christmas bells;
I see the snow like jewels on the earth;
I watch the quiet stars; emotion wells
Within me at remembrance of His birth,
Remembrance of the message that He
brought
Of peace and love, of brotherhood's good
will;
The simple, ageless truths His mercy taught
That in the soul of man re-echo still.
And yet, we plan our wars, we contemplate
Their inhumanities, their lust, their greed,
Their awful deadly ministry of hate,
Forgetful of man's pitiable need.
Oh, Men of Nations, let His memory still
Make brotherhood a dream we must fulfill.
MOTHER OF A MISSIONARY
(A Sonnet)
By Linda S. Fletcher
too, would sing, as Hannah sang of old
*■# Unto the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One,
When sacrificingly she brought her son
Unto the Temple's scarlet, purple, gold;
And sing as Mary, when to her unrolled
The precious knowledge of what God had
done,
And joy of matchless motherhood she'd won,
Though sword would pierce and anguish
her enfold!
For as these two, with dedicating heart,
Unto Thy Temple, I my son have brought,
To yield him to Thy service with this
prayer:
May Samuel's hearing ear of him be part,
To be like Mary's Son, his ev'ry thought,
Then songs of praise my heart will humbly
share!
Photo by Lionel Green.
YOUTH SPEAKS
By Delia Adams Leitnev
Adventuring with Jesus,
A challenge to my soul
To pioneer the places
Where sin seems to control.
The vast domains where evil
Entrenched forbids the light,
Forboding, threatening, harming
All efforts for the right.
But oh, the call insistent
Brings fortitude to dare
To take the Gospel message
And prove the power of prayer.
Christ leads and I will follow,
Nor fear the hosts of sin:
I go forth in His courage
New victories to win.
FRAUDS
By Alda Fugal Gardner
JUTethinks Dame Nature's quite like man,
■"■!■ She loves to play a joke
And cover up unseemly things
Beneath a lovely cloak.
Last night my yard was quite a sight,
It wouldn't bear inspection,
But with the dawn it glistened bright
In snowy white deception.
733
Photo Courtesy Deseret News.
THIS INFORMAL STUDY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE TAKEN AT THE OCTOBER CONFERENCE SHOWS
THE QUORUM ON ONE OF THOSE INFREQUENT OCCASIONS WHEN ALL ARE PRESENT
Front row, left to right : Joseph Fielding Smith, George Albert Smith, Rudger Clawson, Reed Smoot, George
F. Richards, Stephen L. Richards. Back row, left to right: Richard R. Lyman, Melvin J. Ballard, John A. Widtsoe,
Joseph F. Merrill, Charles A. Callis, Albert E. Bowen, and extreme right: Sylvester Q. Cannon, associate.
Photo Courtesy Deseret News.
MISSION PRESIDENTS AT THE OCTOBER CONFERENCE
Left to right, front row: Orlando C. Williams, Spanish American; L. Eugene Neff, Palmyra Bureau
of Information; Frank Evans, Eastern States; Elias S. Woodruff, Central States; A. Lorenzo Anderson,
Mexican; Merrill D. Clayson, Southern States.
Second row: William W. Seegmiller, Western States; EIRay L. Christiansen, Texas, W. Aird
Macdonald, California; David A. Smith, Canadian; William T. Tew, Jr., East Central States.
Third row: Carl F. Eyring, New England; David A. Broadbent, North Central States; Preston
Nibley, Northwestern States; Harold W. Pratt, former president Mexican Mission; B. S. Hinckley, Northern
States.
foim-On
known as the "scribbler," Brother Dean
has written numerous poems, and spent
two-and-a-half years in Hawaii setting
them to native music for an eventual
song collection. The father of 22 chil-
dren, 67 grandchildren, and 23 great-
grandchildren, Brother Dean has kept
a diary, now numbering 60 volumes,
since he was nineteen. His motto is
"Promptness is a virtue."
SHELLEY STAKE HONORS
FOUNDER OF SAMOAN
MISSION
A tribute to his life-long service in
■^ the Church was paid Joseph H.
Dean, 83-year-old founder of the
Samoan Mission, when on Sunday, Oc-
tober 30, members of the Shelley Stake
734
M. I. A. honored him with a pageant
in which were re-enacted scenes from
his own life. Born in Taunton, Eng-
land, Brother Dean emigrated to Mor-
gan, Utah in 1860, via sailing vessel
and ox team. He served a first mission
to Hawaii in 1877 and in 1887 opened
up the work in Samoa. Affectionately
JOSEPH H. DEAN
DR. WIDTSOE IN HAWAII
"T\r. John A. Widtsoe of the Council
of the Twelve was assigned to at-
tend the Oahu Stake Conference held
in Honolulu, Hawaii, October 29 and
30, 1938, and appointed to investigate
and report on educational facilities and
other Church business. Dr. Widtsoe,
accompanied by Mrs. Widtsoe, sailed
from Los Angeles aboard the S. 5.
Matsonia, October 20, 1938.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
RISING ON CENTRAL
STOREHOUSE BUILDING
PROJECT
'T'he newest addition to the cluster of
buildings rising on the eight-acre
tract at 7th West and 7th South streets
in Salt Lake City and known as the
Central Storehouse Building Project of
the Church Welfare Plan, is the Admin-
istration Building, now under construc-
tion. The structure, which will house
the offices and the distributing facilities
for the Salt Lake Region and at the
same time provide storage space for
surplus commodities from other regions
to be handled by the General Commit-
tee, will be ready for occupation some-
time in February or March of 1939.
Employing from fifty to seventy work-
ers daily, the structure is the fourth unit
to be built in connection with this
project: a root cellar with a 30-carload
storage capacity is already in use; a
completely equipped cannery will be
occupied early in December depend-
ing on the completion of the heating
plant. The accompanying sketch by
Fetzer and Fetzer, architects, indicates
that beauty has not been sacrificed to
utility, and when completed, the build-
ing should attract many more than the
hundreds who from far and near have
already visited the project.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING OF THE CENTRAL STOREHOUSE BUILDING PROJECT
TWO NEW PRIMARY
GENERAL BOARD OFFICERS
CHOSEN
TITrs. Margaret H. Stromness,
J-VA formerly superintendent of the
Granite Stake Primary, and Mrs. Ruth
Wood Higginbotham, formerly a mem-
ber of the Ensign Stake Board, were
chosen by Superintendent May Ander-
son to the Primary General Board on
November 1, 1938.
Both of these women come well quali-
fied to their posts, for each of them
has had long service in the Primary
work.
BUSINESS ASSOCIATES
ARRANGE DINNER FOR
PRESIDENT GRANT
Cix-hundred-fifty invitations have
*^ been issued for a dinner, and pro-
gram honoring President Heber J.
Grant, arranged by his business asso-
ciates, for Wednesday evening, No-
vember 23rd, in the Hotel Utah, Salt
Lake City. The list of invited guests
includes leaders of business, industry,
and the professions, from throughout
the inland west and the nation. Mem-
bers of the General Committee in
charge of arrangements are: John F.
Fitzpatrick, Chairman; Gus P. Back-
man, Orval W. Adams, David D. Mof-
fat, E. O. Howard, Harold H. Bennett,
Richard L. Evans, George Gadsby,
J. J. Kelly, Wendell Smoot, Elias A,
Smith, Nelson W. Aldrich, Guy R.
Toombes, Julian M. Bamberger and
Robert L. Judd.
Further details of this occasion, given
as the President begins his 83rd year,
will be noted in next month's Era.
JOSEPH F. SMITH FAMILY
ASSOCIATION HONORS
FOUNDER
/Commemorating the one-hundredth
^ anniversary since the birth of their
illustrious forefather, Joseph Fielding
Smith, sixth president of the Church,
who was born on November 13, 1838
and died November 19, 1918, members
of the Joseph F. Smith Family Asso-
ciation gathered at the Lion House
Saturday evening, November 12, for a
turkey dinner followed by a memorial
program.
MISSIONARIES RETURN
TO ORIGINAL FIELDS
HPhe missionaries who left Germany
and Czechoslovakia during the crit-
ical period of the Czech-German set-
tlements have returned to their various
fields of labor according to word that
has been received in the First Presi-
dency's office from the mission presi-
dents in both countries.
DON CARLOS YOUNG PASSES
Joseph Don Carlos Young, 83 years
of age, last surviving son of President
Brigham Young, answered the call of
death October 19th.
For 50 years and up to two or three
years ago, Brother Young served as the
official architect of the Church. The
Bishop's Building and the Church Of-
fice Building are monumental structures
of his designing.
Brother Young had given much time
in service to the Church both in the
mission field and at home. He was a
member of the original High Council
of Salt Lake Stake.
Sunday, October 2, 1938.
President Heber J. Grant dedicated
the Logan Institute, which is adjacent
to the U. S. A. C. at Logan, Utah.
Sunday, October 16, 1938.
President Heber J. Grant was the
principal speaker at a meeting held in
the Eighteenth Ward, Ensign Stake,
commemorating the thirty-two years of
service performed by Bishop Thomas
A. Clawson and his counselors, John
A. Evans, L. T. Whitney, and Ezra T.
Stevenson, and the ward clerk, Ernest
D. Schettler.
Monday, October 17, 1938.
Special exercises at the Brigham
Young University marked the sixty-
third anniversary of the founding of
this institution.
Sunday, October 23, 1938.
George A. Christensen was sustained
as the Bishop of the 27th Ward, Ensign
Stake, succeedng Joel Richards.
Elder Charles A. Callis dedicated
the new chapel in the Reynolds Branch,
Malad Stake.
Monday, October 24, 1938.
Nicholas Roosevelt, in his book en-
titled A New Birth of Freedom,
lauds the Mormon Pioneers and states
that the country in order to save its
freedom must return to the same cour-
age, endurance, and self-sacrifice as
possessed by the Mormon Pioneers.
Sunday, October 30, 1938.
Floyd L. Weed was sustained as
Bishop of the 26th Ward, Pioneer
Stake, succeeding Leonard C. Rueckert.
The Sugar House Ward, Highland
Stake, was reorganized with Ernest A.
Nelson as Bishop, succeeding George
W. Burbidge.
MISSIONARIES LEAVING FOR THE FIELD FROM THE SALT LAKE MISSIONARY HOME
ARRIVED OCTOBER 24, 1938— DEPARTED NOVEMBER 3, 1938
Left to right, first row: Newel C. McMillan, E. Raymond Horsley, Margaret E. Hardy, Kay Cheney,
Mildred Hansen, Doris Porter, Dorothy Hurst, J. Le Grande Shupe, Sherman Turner.
Second row: Pres. Don. B. Colton, Morris Rowley, Dean G. Huntsman, Edith Bair, Mrs. Beulah
J. Farnsworth, Gladys Heileson, Sue Carmen Jennings, Milton J. Rasmussen, Andrew B. Shumway,
Instructor William E. Barrett.
Third row: Melvin J. Hogge, Dennis Farnsworth, Jr., Warren S. Ottley, Glen L. Rudd, Emily
Anderson, Sister Don B. Colton, Norma Anne Haymore, Merrill Biddulph, Grant F. Taylor, Deloy Leavitt,
Vern H. Jensen.
Fourth row: Daniel Leatham, William F. Bundy, Kart D. Reeder, Ray J. Kirkland, Johtv A.
Hopkin, Grant W. Cooley, J. Marcell Pitcher, Joel ft. Huff, Dellis Johnson, George F. Swenson.
Fifth row: Howard L. Lund, Edwin H. Smart, Philip J. Dixon, Stephen R. Davis, Morris L.
Mickelson, Gerald W. Smith, Royal D. Anderson, Clyde W. Fowler, G. Venoy Gay.
Sixth row: Douglas N. Thompson, Charles S. Anderson, Don F. Robertson, Eric I. Bundy, Clark 0-
Thompson, Donald B. Garrick, Theo. H. Richards, Max W. Simkins, A. William Lake, Delmar Braegger.
Seventh row: Sherman Douglas Park, J. Ray Bryan, Dehlin A. Erickson, Niels J. Anderson, Wendelt
K. Young, Earl M. Fitzgerald, Harold W. Tadje, G. Watson Eatough, Joseph E. Bateman
Eighth row: Junior D. Carson, Howard L. Randall, Glen M. Acomb, Martelt Bodell, Homer Krrkham,
Marion J. Evertson, Phil C. Dana, Dwight Dana, H. John Madsen, F. Alan Spencer.
Ninth row: Junior Thomas Lundgreen, Clyde Hart, William E. Toone.
735
fcdihfimL
•$if>L io yojdk-1938
Again we approach that heart-warming, soul-
cheering time of year at which we commem-
orate anew the birth of the Savior of mankind.
But with the coming of the Christmas season we
find ourselves still facing the realities of life as we
always have in the past, and as we shall continue
to do as long as life shall last.
The seasoned traveler has learned to accept these
realities — even to welcome them — for the glory of
conquest and the thrill of overcoming, for he knows
that without hills to climb and broken country to
traverse, dull, deteriorating monotony sets in.
But with youth it may be different. The all-
engrossing business of education and preparation
has in most cases kept his attention from the actual
battle of life, wherein a man does what he does and
becomes what he becomes by his own effort.
Then comes youth's awakening, and, as with all
awakenings, the fading of many dreams. There
comes a day when we realize that we can no longer
conscientiously accept the support of others, and
winning our own support is more difficult than it
appeared to be from the sidelines. No longer can
we be content with merely being the son of some-
one. We must establish our own identity and rear
our own families, and the responsibilities which
seemed so natural to our parents take on new mag-
nitude. No longer can we afford to be students
only. We must become teachers. No longer may
we devote ourselves wholly to the theoretical. We
must venture into the practical. No longer is the
world waiting for us to prepare for life. It is
waiting for us to live it, to face its realities, to solve
its problems, to improve its conditions, and to do for
the next generation that which has been done
for us, with such improvements as would be ex-
pected because of time and cumulative experience.
And so comes the awakening that brings us face
to face with reality. The job is not easy. Who
but a weakling would wish that it were? The prob-
lems have not all been solved. Who but a dullard
would want them to be? The future is unpre-
dictable. Read your history! — when wasn't it?
The world is so greatly changing. Be thankful for
that — so long as our principles and ideals and ulti-
mate destination do not change with it; progress
is change. Livelihood is not secure. It's up to us
to make it secure.
So run the objections and the answers to those
objections, which became articulate in the mind of
the writer while acting on a committee of Presi-
dent Grant's business associates. They were pre-
paring to honor him at a banquet as he begins the
83rd year of his life, and it became necessary to pre-
pare a: program statement that would typify the life
of this great leader. From due process of thought
there came these obvious conclusions :
To look, at. this man now one might be lead to suppose
that the1 obstacles of his life had faded away before him. It
would be possible to believe that the rough places had been
easily traversed by his determined stride, that success had
c6me with moderate effort, that Providence had spared him
much of life's travail. The flawless performance of a master
musician looks easy, too, and in our enjoyment of his art,
we sometimes close our thoughts to the toil and heartbreak,
the faith and vision, that mark the upward course. This man
is great, not because he has been spared the hardships of
life, but because he has overcome them. Providence gave
him strength, not ease; courage, not protection; faith, not a
favored lot; integrity, not freedom from temptation.
It is well remembered that a look back through the years
of Heber J. Grant now, presents a much different picture
from the view he had when he was at the other end looking
this way. We know now what he was destined to become,
but he knew then only that life must be lived honorably and
industriously, in order that a widowed mother might be cared
for, that a family might be reared, and that the Lord, his
Maker, might, at that day when all shall stand before Him,
say "Well done."
And from these thoughts we offer our gift to
youth for Christmas 1938 — and for all the years
and generations to come: If life is not what it
ought to be, it is yours to make it what it should
be. Change whatever you wish to change, within
the limits of truth, noble ideals, and fundamental
principles, and your own generation, and genera-
tions yet unborn, will rise to call you blessed.
— R. L. E.
(L QhhidlmaiL, JJwucfhL
"Plying snow and holly berries, clearer sight and
keener minds — all are indications of the Christ-
mas season. The exuberance of spring has ebbed;
the languor of summer has vanished; the haze of
autumn has cleared; and the vigor of winter sends
new blood coursing through our veins.
Clearer sight and keener minds should stimulate
clearer and keener insight into the fundamentals of
living. Those who live and work with young peo-
ple should turn their eyes critically inward, par-
ticularly at this season, and let the mind register
truly what the eye sees. Crying needs in the
world today demand our best thinking and clear
vision in directing these young folk. They must
be shown the only way of life. They are now
embarking on their journey. Their vessel may be
ever so seaworthy, but there are those external
forces which will assail them unless we keep the
lighthouse of our love burning brightly. Fogs of
despair will arise around them, but the beam of our
light can penetrate the mists; cross-currents of
worldly beliefs will sweep over them from every
direction and make them lose their way, unless
we have given them the true course to follow;
waves of disbelief will buffet them from the charted
way, unless we have provided them with the com-
pass of faith; reefs of ignorance will offer hazards
unless we have given them the sure knowledge of
true principles; the tides of indolence may sweep
their frail barks into a backwash and stagnation
unless we keep the lighthouse of our and their faith
replenished from the Giver of Eternal Light and
Life.
At this season when our thoughts are turned
naturally to Him in whose name we call upon the
Father of us all, let us resolve that we will chart
our own and others' courses more clearly, that we
may follow in the way He showed and reach the
harbor where He awaits those who sail the true
course.- — M. C. ].
736
HELPING OTHERS
lo HEL
THEMSELV
By WILLIAM MULDER
"pROM the numerous fronts throughout
the Church where ward, stake, and
regional groups are pushing forward in
a major offensive against material need
and spiritual depression comes the
heartening report that operations float-
ing the banner of the Church Welfare
Plan are realizing with no small success
the three-fold objective of caring for
the immediate wants of the needy, find-
ing the jobless permanent employment,
and progressively improving existing
conditions.
Placing confidence in the program at
large and enthusiasm in the particular
project in hand, Priesthood quorums,
Relief Societies, specially organized
groups, and individuals have in a total
of 1,065 projects during 1938 produced
794,000 cans of vegetables, 230,000
cans of fruit, 23,000 lbs. dried fruits,
990,000 lbs. of root and leaf vegetables,
18,000 sacks of potatoes, 18,660 sacks
of flour, 325 sacks of dry beans, the
equivalent of 1,552 sacks of sugar in
sugar beets, 2,000 gallons of sorghum,
100 cases of canned meat, and 27,000
lbs. of fresh meat. There have been
produced several carloads of coal and
several of wood, and the number of
articles of clothing made at the sewing
centers runs into many thousands.
Some 3,943 individuals have been as-
sisted to find employment in regular
channels of trade, while another 2677
have been employed on Church Wel-
fare projects.
In every quarter steps have been
taken toward the permanent rehabili-
tation of the lives of men and women
through the establishment of their eco-
nomic independence. Several leading
projects illustrate the productive nature
of the program.
Deseret Industries
Most unique is the recently founded
Deseret Industries, a salvage and manu-
facturing enterprise patterned after the
nationally known "Goodwill Indus-
tries." This project is designed to help
others help themselves by putting to
work those who would have difficulty
finding employment in private in-
dustry. Local response to the insti-
tution's appeal for merchandise which
could be re-conditioned and sold
again has been so overwhelming that
the two story warehouse and basement
at 342 West Second South in Salt Lake
is filled with furniture and stoves,
clothing and rags, books and papers,
toys, shoes, antiques, and a hundred
and one other items. These materials
were gathered in a systematic canvas-
sing of the stakes under the motto,
"Waste nothing, save everything." To-
Mllt
-v>
FULL-SIZED BURLAP BAGS SUCH AS THIS ARE
AVAILABLE FOR EVERY HOWIE THAT DESIRES
TO COOPERATE. WHEN THEY ARE FILLED
WITH DISCARDED ARTICLES, DESERET IN-
DUSTRIES WILL CALL FOR THEM.
day three trim trucks are kept busy
making daily pick-ups of voluntary
donations. Homes are supplied with a
bag and an attached postal card which
is filled out with proper directions for
calling, and mailed to the Industries
when the bag, as a depository for dis-
carded but usable articles, is filled.
At the Deseret Industries plant itself
a staff of workers that has grown from
five to forty-five is engaged in pro-
cessing the materials: clothes are sorted
according to 24 classifications and are
washed or dry-cleaned, mended, and
pressed; stoves are rebuilt; furniture re-
finished; mattresses recovered; shoes
repaired; tons of paper and rags baled
and shipped. Everything is salvaged,
from kindling wood to antiques, and
finally finds its way at a moderate evalu-
ation to one of the three stores now
being operated at 342 West Second
South, 432 South State, and 60 Richards
Street, all in Salt Lake City. Clean,
well-stocked, and open for business to
the general public, these stores are being
visited by rich and poor alike, and a
carefully kept daily progress chart in-
dicates the amount of merchandise sold,
though less than the amount of donated
goods, is steadily increasing. Deseret
Industries is rapidly moving toward a
self-supporting basis.
Deseret Clothing Factory
Manufacturing L. D. S. garments un-
der the "Authorized Pattern" label is
the Security Knitting Mills at 36 South
Main Street, also in Salt Lake City.
Employing a varied number of workers,
the factory has been operating under
the Salt Lake Region, the garments
being distributed in the main through
the regional storehouse. But in the
future this project will come under the
joint supervision of the General Com-
mittee and the Salt Lake Regional
Council, to be known as the Deseret
Clothing Factory.
Central Storehouse Building
Project
Within a few months the offices and
bishop's storehouse of the Salt Lake Re-
gion will be housed in the new center
now under construction at 749 West
7th South known as the Central Store-
house Building Project. It is so-called
because not only will it be the storing,
processing, and distributing head-
quarters for the stakes of the Salt Lake
Region, but there will be located one
of the General Committee storage cen-
ters and from there shipment of surplus
commodities to other regions will be
made. (See detailed description, paqe
734.) F y
Work in Other Regions
While these projects have created
considerable public interest and may be
considered as representative of the
scope and purpose of Welfare work in
its major proportions, other regions
have been promoting worthwhile proj-
ects.
In Juab Stake there has been the Dog
Valley Farm Project; in southern Utah
the Virgin River Temple Cottage proj-
ect to build seven modern cottages near
the St. George Temple for aged temple
workers; in Juab, Nebo, and Woodruff
stakes, sawmill projects to supply ma-
terials for homes for those engaged on
the project and also for Church build-
ings; in Idaho, the proposed Eastern
Idaho' Regional Storehouse to be built
by Welfare labor chiefly from native
materials; in Salt Lake the digging, pre-
paring, and shipping of celery, and in
Sharon the Sharon-Utah cannery which
kept from ten to forty workers em-
ployed most of the summer.
It is not necessary to multiply sta-
tistics, however revealing they may be
in themselves. A monthly reading of
the column "Quorum Projects" (see
page 742) will indicate to just what
extent the Welfare Plan is giving a
practical demonstration of benefits that
result when mouths are fed and souls
nourished in a productive plan of having
the worker produce that which he uses.
737
WHAT BOOKS SHALL ! GIVE THE CHILDREN FOR CHRISTMAS?
FOR THE VERY YOUNG:
Little Pancho
(Told and drawn by Leo Politi,
Viking Press, New York, 1938.
$.50.)
Little Pancho, like many little boys
when told not to do a thing, imme-
diately set out to do it. He went into the
jungle where he lost his hat and his way
and generally mixed himself in all kinds of
trouble. The pictures are unusual since
they deal with a Mexican mother and her
child.
The Black Pup
(Anne Brooks, illustrated, Viking
Press, New York, 1938. 63 pages.
$1.50.)
THE book with its clever illustrations will
offer many an hour's entertainment,
especially when the pup, who especially dis-
liked kittens, defended them against an
airdale.
Gloomy the Camel
(Story and pictures by Grace Paull,
Viking Press, New York, 1938. $1.50.)
Although Grace Paull is well-known for
her illustrations, this is her first ap-
pearance as an author. The conclusion that
Gloomy found happiness only after he had
learned usefulness is a welcome message
to old and young today.
Little Toad
(Frances Margaret Fox, illustrated,
Viking Press, New York. 79 pages.
$1.00.)
Tracing the life story of a toad from the
egg to the tadpole, toadlet, and finally
a full-grown toad is interestingly and truth-
fully told, for the author is a teacher who
had the material verified by authorities
This book can profitably be read to any
age group.
Three Tales From Grimm
(Illustrated by Brunhild Schlotter,
Macmillan Company, New York,
1938. $1.75.)
This exquisite book including the three
stories: The Sleeping Beauty, The
Froq Prince, and Mother Hulda, was printed
in Germany. Grimm is always interesting
for children and in this newly dressed ver-
sion with its truly lovely illustrations, it
will be more than a welcome addition to
the children's bookshelf.
Bobbie and Jock and the Mailman
(Charles J. Finger, illustrated, Henry
Holt and Company, New York.
156 pages. $2.00.)
For children from 6 to 10, this book with
its clever illustrations and its story of
a little girl's vacation on the farm will prove
of Interest. Her experience of getting lost
and found again and learning that "the
longest way round is the shortest way
home" makes interesting reading.
738
By MARBA C JOSEPHSON
Buttons
( Tom Robinson, illustrated by Beggy
Bacon, Viking Press, New York.
$2.00.)
Who wouldn't be interested in a ragged,
moth-eaten kitten who proved to an
unfriendly world that he could make his
way without asking for too many favors?
Buttons is an adorable cat to introduce into
any home, both for the story, which by the
way is given twice, and for the illustrations,
which a child will be delighted to linger
over. Naturally, we hate to turn moralist,
but in this story introduced into our present
world, there is something of Aesop.
Quito Express
(Ludwig Bemelmans, illustrated,
Viking Press, New York, 1938.
47 pages. $1.00.)
Anew way for even the youngest to
study geography is given in Qufro Ex*
press, a story about Pedro of Ecuador,
who climbed on a train and was lost for a
day or two, but had a good time because
the conductor liked little boys.
FOR THE MIDDLE-AGED
YOUNGSTER:
Child of the Deep
(John E. Williamson and Frances
Jenkins Olcott, illustrated with
photographs, Houghton Mifflin
Company, Boston, 1938. 116
pages. $2.25.)
Next best to going underseas is reading
from experienced underseas people who
took a little girl with them constantly
when they went on their expeditions. Many
pictures are reproduced, several in full color.
The natural history included in this book
will be welcomed by many adults who have
always been curious themselves about how
the sea and its people look.
V
K
Forest Neighbors
(Edith M. Patch and Caroll L.
Fenton, illustrated, Macmillan,
New York, 1938. 192 pages. $1.50.)
Any child will find in this book a wealth
of material to satisfy his natural curi-
osity concerning nature. The moose, the
red fox, the snowshoe hare, the lynx, the
white-tailed deer are among the animals
treated; the redstart, the chickadee, the
waxwing among the birds discussed. The
book will serve to renew old acquaintances
and to introduce many new ones.
Yinka-Tu the Yak
( Alice A. Lide, illustrated by Kurt
Wiese, Viking Press, 1938.
63 pages. $2.00.)
The adventures of Tibetan Sifan with his
Yinka-Tu on the broad planes of
China make interesting reading. Add to
the story, the illustrations of Kurt Wiese
and you have a book that any parent will
be proud to give the children and that any
child will adore to own. The customs and
some of the history of Tibet are woven into
the story.
One Winter
( Martin Gale, illustrated, Viking
Press, New York, 1938. 204
pages. $1.75.)
Jinnie Bradford's experiences in a board-
ing school with her friend Migs and their
ponies will fascinate young readers. The
clever line drawings of Margaret Van Doren
will also attract favorable attention, while
of course the maple syrup story will satisfy
the sweet tooth of all young people.
FOR THE ADOLESCENT:
Honey of the Nile
( Erick Berry, illustrated, Oxford
University Press, New York, 1938.
224 pages. $2.00.)
When Egypt "was the center of the
world, and the Nile, a green ribbon
through the golden sands, the artery of
Egypt" is the setting for this book. Both
the material and the illustrations have been
carefully checked by Egyptologists for their
accuracy. The story deals with the young
king Tutankh Amun; his wife, Ankhes; Kem,
a young priest of Amun Re and keeper of
the bees; and Hanofre, faithful handmaid
Ankhes; and unfolds many dramatic in-
cidents in the lives of the young king and
queen who are historical characters.
Penn
(Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated,
Viking Press, New York, 1938.
260 pages. $2.50.)
Completely engrossing and of great value
is this biography of one of the founders
of early America, written by one who has
proved her worth in other notable biog-
raphies. From Penn's parentage and early
life, we get an insight into English history
which is so prominent in shaping the destiny
of America. The story is that of a coura-
geous fighter who dared stand by his beliefs
in spite of many imprisonments and great
family pressure.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Seventeen Chimneys
(Theodore A. Harper, Viking Press,
New York, 1938. 270 pages. $2.00.)
Robert Cornish after his father's failure
was left to make his way the best he
could. For one year he worked in the lonely
bush country of New Zealand where he
learned the valuable lesson of patience.
"Seventeen Chimneys" was the symbol of
his lost heritage. There are some mys-
teries which will intensify the interest for
adolescent boys and girls.
The Little American Girl
(Marjorie H. Alee, illustrated,
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1938.
237 pages. $2.00.)
The three-fold duty of Sarah Ann Reid,
who was unexpectedly given the op-
portunity of going to Paris as "house-
daughter" at the Quaker International
Center, was to learn French as a living
language, to get acquainted with all kinds
of people, and to grow up. Her experiences
on shipboard and after she arrived in Paris
make every page seem too short.
Blocking Back
(B. J. Chute, Macmillan Company,
New York, 1938. 266 pages. $1.75.)
What boy wouldn't get a thrill from
attending a boys' school and being
intimately associated with football? Well,
Jerry Le Van didn't — at first, because he
had been sent much against his will to
Washburn instead of Harmeer which he
had desired to attend. But when he had
his lesson forced down his throat, his eyes
opened to many new things and he found
that teamwork is the basis of both life and
football.
Fire in the Ice
(A. D. Divine, Houghton Mifflin
Company, Boston, 1938. 254 pages.
$2.00.)
Ever since Melville told the story of Moby
Dick, much interest has centered in
whales and the whaling industry. When
Alan Pierce sailed on a modern whaling ex-
pedition with Aslaksen, an experienced
sailing man, he made a friend and learned
many things that a year on land would not
have taught him. A full-blooded adventure
story, Fire in the Ice will help while away
a few winter evenings.
Josie and Joe
(Ruth G. Plowhead, illustrated,
Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell,
Idaho, 1938. 262 pages. $2.50.)
IDENTICAL twins in everything except that
one was a girl and the other a boy, Josie
and Joe Dawne had many a gay time to-
gether, for Josie could do things that a boy
did as well or even better than Joe. She
was as eager a student of the Cub manual
as Joe. But much as Joe liked his sister,
he still felt that there were some things that
girls should not do. This left Josie quite
disconsolate until she learned that there are
things that girls can do which are as in-
teresting and difficult to do as those boys
choose. Her experiences in the Top Notch
Club which taught her how to sew and
can fruit and the other exploits of this
hoydenish girl will make good reading dur-
ing the Christmas holidays.
{Concluded on page 740)
Don't Serve
SKIMPY Breakfasts !
[:■_
ile£X^fe
V\0 you start your husband
*—' off to work and your
children off to school with a
real energy breakfast — a
breakfast that will provide
lots of nourishment— lots of
pep and energy? In other
words— a Globe PANCAKE
breakfast? Working people
and school children often
skimp on lunches — don't
skimp their breakfasts too!
Serve your family satisfying
pancakes for breakfast. Make them the quick, easy, THRIFTY
way — with Globe "Al" Pancake and Waffle Flour. This
special pancake flour contains lots of buttermilk for extra
richness and flavor. How good these "Al" pancakes taste on
cold mornings, with syrup or honey trickling down the sides.
Globe "Al" Pancake and Waffle Flour is the choice of thou-
sands of smart women because it's so quick and easy to use
and it is always the same! You can make three "Al" pan-
cakes [or a penny! Buy Globe "Al" tomorrow — serve nour-
ishing pancake breakfasts. See what a hit they make with
your family!
\\
//
GLOBE "A1
PANCAKE & WAFFLE FLOUR
739
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Barefoot and the Friendly Road
(Jack Tinker, illustrated by the
author, Viking Press, New York.
$1.00.)
The poetry of this little book will serve
to make young and old alike revel in
it, for the friendly road is a symbol of the
wandering that all of us have the urge to do.
Gray Wolf
(Rutherford Montgomery, Houghton
Mifflin, Boston, 1938. 186 pages.
$2.25.)
Dramatically told from the wolf's point
of view, this book will serve to give
information concerning the habits and life
of the gray wolves who brought so much
worry to the cattlemen in the early days of
the west. The story deals particularly with
Speed, the wisest of these gray wolves, who
long escaped man but finally met his match
in Treon, an Indian hunter.
Shadow Plays and How to
Produce Them
(Winifred H. Mills and Louise
M. Dunn, Doubleday Doran and
Company, New York. 188 pages.
$2.00.)
Although children in the home usually
want to have shadow plays, this re-
viewer's guess is that the older members
of the family will find much of enjoyment
and growth if they too will read this book.
The actual dramatizations of several plays
is given and the illustrations to go with
them. Part Two is shadow plays with
music — and good music also, while Part
Three deals with human shadow plays.
The book is a really careful study of this
form of entertainment and should offer a
solution to the eternal question both of
adults and children, "What shall we do?"
Jungle River
( Howard Pease, illustrated, Double-
day Doran and Company, New
York, 1938. 295 pages. $2.00.)
This book for high school age boys and
girls will answer their constant search
for the unusual and the exciting.
In this, his latest book, he deals with
the adventures of Don Carter in New
Guinea when he set out to find his father,
reported lost, believed dead, following an
airplane crash.
The Scarlet Oak
(Cornelia Meigs, illustrated, Mac-
millan Company, New York, 1938.
198 pages. $2.00.)
This book for children of ten to fourteen
by a recognized author deals with
America in 1817 when Joseph Bonaparte
found refuge here after fleeing from Italy.
The mystery that is woven about his living
in this country will make delightful reading.
The Book of Original Plays
and How to Give Them
( Horace J. Gardner and Bonneviere
Arnaud, J. B. Lippicott Company,
Philadelphia, 1938. 414 pages. $2.50.)
This book contains ten plays and a
pageant which have been planned and
written for groups of all ages to use in
school or church organizations. Equally
important, however, is the information
given on the preparation for the presenta-
740
tion of a drama. The first chapter, called
"Off-stage Activities," deals with the or-
ganization for the successful staging a play.
The second chapter, "On-stage Activities,"
gives instructions to the director; "Back-
stage Activities" instructs those who handle
che show. It also includes some helpful in-
formation on make-up. Part V is on the
Pageant.
Rifles for Washington
( Elsie Singmaster, illustrated, Houghton
Mifflin, Boston, 1938. 321 pages.
$2.25.)
The story of a young man who refused
to be left out of the War of Independ-
ence, told from the common soldier's point
of view, is unusual. Miss Singmaster has
done a masterful job in putting on to paper
the intimate details which make this book
valuable historically.
The Far-Distant Oxus
(Katherine Hull and Pamela Whitlock,
Macmillan Company, New York,
1938. 320 pages. $2.00.)
This book "by children, about children,
and for children" (actual quotation
from the authors' letter) will make any adult
understand that this is no ordinary child's
book to be relegated to children alone. The
girls, 15 and 16, who began the book a
year ago, reveal many things that leaders
of girls would do well to discover. In the
first place, they are not sentimental about
nature: they accept it and love it; in the
second place, they like action and adventure
and introduce plenty of both; in the third
place, they have a fine disregard for money:
and they have a good time with a very little
of it.
The story deals with the activities of
three children who go for a vacation to the
West Country moors of England and there
learn many things.
Knowing Yourself and Others
(Donald McLean, Henry Holt and
Co., New York, 1938. 267 pages.)
This text dealing with mental hygiene,
which young people between ten and
eighteen will enjoy reading, will be wel-
comed by many parents and teachers. The
author has had wide experience as clinical
psychologist consultant of the Institute of
Family Relations in Los Angeles. He bases
his work on the three drives analyzed by
William I. Thomas in his book, The lln~
adjusted Girl; the three drives being: the
security, the response, and the recognition
drives. Each person wants to make his
life certain, hence, the security drive; each
wants to be loved, therefore the response
drive; moreover, one wants to be important
to other beings and have their respect,
hence, the recognition drive.
The Golden Book of the
Dutch Navigators
(Hendrick Willem Van Loon, D.
Appleton-Century Co., New York.
333 pages. $2.50.)
Van Loon (pronounced like lone) has
brought much to the young, yes, and
the old, people of America, through his in-
tensely vitalized books. In this book, a
revised reprint from 1916, he does much
to impart to history the breath of ro-
mance. He has made historical figures walk
into the lives of present-day young boys
and girls. With a gusto born from his love
of freedom which is inherent from his Dutch
ancestry, he arouses a similar love for good
government based on freedom of choice.
<H&/ulSl 3iow—
For the holidays what could be
nicer than a Spicy Spice Cake —
unless it's two of them. Globe Mills
tells us how it is done, and it's so
easy, and the results are so ef-
fective that I'm sure we shall all be
spicing up the Christmas season.
Here it is:
2% c. Globe "Al" Cake Flour
1 t. soda
lk t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
V2 t. each of cloves, nutmeg, all-
spice.
V2 c. butter or substitute
IV2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
Sift flour once, measure, add
soda, salt, and spices, and sift three
times. Cream butter, add 1 c. of
sugar gradually and cream thor-
oughly. Beat eggs slightly and
add the rest of the sugar to them;
mix well. Add to butter and sugar
mixture. Add small amount of
flour mixture, mix well, then add
a little milk. Continue in this man-
ner until flour and milk are used,
beating batter hard after each ad-
dition. Add vanilla. Bake in a
loaf pan in a moderate oven (350
degrees) 50 to 60 minutes. Pour
Chocolate Icing over the top and
decorate with halves of walnuts.
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IT. S. Patent No. 2,078,972
"LIFE OF JOSEPH F. SMITH"
Sixth President o£ the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith
While we have not yet had an
opportunity to review this book,
we wish to invite attention to it here,
because it is hoped that it will be off
the press for the Christmas trade, and
many undoubtedly will wish to give
it consideration in their selection of
Christmas gifts. This is the life story
of the remarkable man who was left
fatherless at the age of six, in scenes
of tribulation and dark persecution,
by the martyrdom of his father, Hy-
rum Smith, and who later became the
sixth President of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. The
book is compiled and edited by his
son, Joseph Fielding Smith, of the
Council of the Twelve, who writes
in his introduction:
"This volume is prepared primarily
for the benefit of the descendants of
President Joseph F. Smith, and then,
for the benefit of all those who are
interested in his life's labors and who
have joined with him in assisting to
bring to pass and to establish in the
earth, the 'cause of Zion'."
More will be said of this volume
later— R. L. E.
Utah Pioneering, An
Autobiography
(Andrew M. Israelsen, Deseret
News Press, Salt Lake City, 1938.
328 pages. $3.50.)
This is the self-told story of a man who
was born in Norway, 350 miles north
of the Arctic Circle, and who came to Utah
with his parents, at the age of seven, for
the Gospel. The account, arranged for
publication by the author's son, Dr. O. W.
Israelsen of the Utah State Agricultural
College, was written after the author was
seventy years of age. The book, like its
author, has stirring color and rugged in-
dividuality. It shows with unforgettable
force the type of men and women who
came out of northern Europe in response
to the missionary activities of the Church,
the type of men and women who have
pioneered the West, who have earned their
own way and helped others, who have
been the backbone of the Church and the
stalwarts of the nation. Utah Pioneering
is not the history of anything in particular,
but it breathes the spirit of those material
and spiritual fundamentals without which
we are a lost people. To quote the book's
editor: "The author is a man of faith and
also a man of action. His is the faith that
enables men to live abundantly in spite of
the most adverse circumstances — the faith
which would enrich the lives of millions
today by banishing fear and sustaining
courage." — R. L. E.
With Tongue in Cheek
(Kathryn Kay, Circle Publishing Co.,
Hollywood, 1938. 85 pages. $2.00.)
To many of her friends in the West,
Kathryn Kay, formerly of Salt Lake
City and now of Los Angeles, may better
be known as Kathryn Worsley. Her book,
With Tongue in Cheek, is a collection of
original verse, humorously illustrated, at-
tractively presented, and easily read. The
mood varies from light-hearted common
sense, to barbed flippancy, to poignant senti-
ment, to biting satire. One gets the im-
pression that the author has stepped aside
to look at life with amused and half-closed
eyes, thereby to write of things and people
in general with part jest and part dead-
seriousness. Entertainment, with a dash
or two of sterner stuff, is how we see it.
— R. L. E.
. . . and Tell of Time
(Laura Krey, Houghton Mifflin
Company, Boston. 712 pages.
$2.75.)
HPitled from The Bacchae by Euri-
pides, this book uses time as its
protagonist, thereby creating an ex-
tremely readable and wholesome novel,
centered in Texas of the Reconstruc-
tion period.
The ideals implanted into the lives
of the Darcy family: ideals of helpful-
ness, industry, and integrity, are made
attractive and worthy of emulation.
The story is based on a well-seasoned,
rounded conception of life.
The story, although as in life it must
consider parents and grandparents,
deals with the romance of Cavin and
Lucina Darcy in meeting the changed
situation which the Civil War had
caused in the attitude towards the
negroes, the carpet-baggers, and in the
rewinning of the land to cultivation.
In the lives of this couple and their
children, their nieces, nephews, and
MOST of our readers will be de-
lighted to know that the best
of what Harrison R. Merrill has
written will be included in a special
volume to be available on or before
December 15. This volume takes its
title, Leave My Spirit Here, from
Prof. Merrill's well-known poem,
"Let This Be Heaven."
The books will be available at
$1.00 a copy plus postage. See
coupon, page 764.
their friends, is depicted the strong
sense of heritage and parentage that
is conducive of consistent and stable
growth. — M. C. J.
Yukon Voyage
Unofficial Log of the Steamer Yukoner
(Walter R. Curtin; Caxton Printers,
Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho, 1938.
299 pages. $3.50.)
"Decreating the romantic Alaska of
**■ the bonanza days of 1897, the au-
thor from the pages of his log has spun
a good yarn which makes the blood
course faster through the reader's
veins. The book offers a new note in
that we see a different picture of some
of those who sought adventure and
wealth in the far north. The author
and two women met together each
night to read aloud from good books,
and they began with Paradise Lost!
The pictures, authentic ones of the
period, revivify the history of the times
and intensify the interest of the narra-
tive.—M. C. /.
Save Time and Money"
by concentrating your Christmas shopping efforts here. You
will be delighted by the variety of gifts we have on display.
Radios, Moving Picture Equipment, Copper, Brass,
Pottery and Glass Ware, Leather Goods, Clocks,
Book Ends, Fountain Pens, Stationery, Games, Per-
sonalized Greeting Cards for every occasion.
— and BOOKS of every description.
Books for Children, Books for Youth, Books for All Ages — Fic-
tion, Classics, Biography, Standard Works, Reference Books,
L. D. S. Church Literature, Bibles, Books for Everyone!
Order your Christmas Greeting Cards NOW
DESERET BOOK COMPANY
44 East South Temple — Salt Lake City, Utah
741
CONDUCTED BY THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE —
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH, CHAIRMAN; MELVIN J. BALLARD, JOHN A. WIDTSOE, AND JOSEPH F. MERRILL
PRIESTHOOD AND CHURCH WELFARE
A gain we invite attention to the new
■*"*■ 1939 course of study for all Mel-
chizedek Priesthood groups. This
course, to be considered throughout
the Church, is designed to promote the
spiritual and material welfare of the
Church as a whole. It is timely; it is
vital; it is informative and stimulating.
Much good will result from its con-
sideration by the Priesthood quorums
of the Church.
Again this year it is urgently desired
that a copy of the course of study be
in the hands of every member of the
Melchizedek Priesthood. Copies may
be ordered individually or in quantities
through the Deseret Book Company,
Salt Lake City.
ANTI-LIQUOR-TOBACCO
COLUMN
QUORUM PROJECTS
REMINDERS
T etters and reports from the field in-
J-' dicate various stages of progress of
the Anti-liquor-tobacco campaign.
Probably every stake will have its com-
mittees fully organized and actively at
work before this number of the Era
reaches the field. But due to the
changes in chairmanship and member-
ship of some of the committees it may
be well to remind all committee mem-
bers again that information and sug-
gestions relative to' the campaign have
been given in this column from month
to month during several months past.
We advise all new members (and old
ones are not forbidden to review them)
to read these, beginning with the Feb-
ruary, 1938, issue of the Era.
System Needed
In order to reach the objectives of
the campaign, systematic work will be
needed. All who hold the Priesthood
— Melchizedek and Aaronic — may read
the campaign literature with profit and
are expected to do so. The same may
be said of all other members of the
Church old enough to read with under-
standing. Hence at least one copy of
Alcohol Talks to Youth, Nicotine on
the Air, and The Word of Wisdom
in Practical Terms should be in every
home. That this may be the case many
more copies of each booklet will yet
have to be sent out. Hence the com-
mittees should distribute this literature
systematically — keep a record of those
receiving it, of those who have read
it, and their reaction to it. This will
require much careful work by the
committees, for it means one or more
personal contacts with every one ex-
pected to read the literature. Hence,
every one working in the campaign
should operate according to a plan and
keep a record of what he does. This
will be necessary in order to know when
all have been reached and that accuracy
may characterize the required reports
to the stake and general committees.
Will all committee chairmen give
prompt attention to these matters?
(See also "Wine Is A Mocker," page 732.)
742
WHAT THE PRIESTHOOD IS
DOING THROUGHOUT THE
CHURCH
Ogden Stake
201 st Quorum of Seventy
'"Phe death in November, 1936, of
A Frank A. Purrington of the 13th
Ward left his family with a small sum
of money and the serious issue of how
to establish their economic independ-
ence. The immediate problem was
how to invest the small inheritance to
give greatest future security. It would
not last long if simply spent for living
expenses.
Collaboration of the fatherless fam-
ily with the Priesthood quorum of which
Bro. Purrington had been a member
resulted in a plan to convert the Pur-
rington homestead into three apart-
ments, with the quorum, under the di-
rection of the Bishopric and the im-
mediate supervision of Senior President
Norman D. Moffett, an experienced
builder, voluntarily assuming the labor
of the remodeling.
A pooling of talents ranging from
legal services in administering the prop-
erty to skilled and unskilled labor in
the actual building, found the project
under way one month after Bro. Pur-
rington's decease. The basement was
excavated to provide room for a heat-
ing plant and fruit cellar, and within
eight weeks a four-room apartment
was created out of the rear screen
porch, kitchen, and bedroom, providing
quarters for the Purrington family. In
due time two other apartments were
completed, and to date have been con-
tinuously rented out, one for $35.00 and
the other for $32.50 monthly. The pro-
ject when completed represented a total
of 1922 hours of donated labor and
$42.75 in cash contributions. With
other quorums and outside groups aid-
ing the project, an estimated construc-
tion cost of $2,846.19 was reduced to
an actual expenditure of $1,874.80.
Services such as obtaining material
at cost, hauling gravel, borrowing a
cement-mixer, laying linoleum, painting,
brick-laying, and the planning and
supervision of the work indicate the
variety of ways in which the quorum
by willing and intelligent cooperation
completed a project that is a first
quality job in every way and that
established the permanent economic in-
dependence of a widow and her family.
San Juan Stake
Gives Account of Activities.
Blanding Ward High Priests — The
quorum harvested 190 bushels of wheat
on twelve acres, and about 130 lbs. per
acre from fourteen acres of beans.
They have planted fourteen acres of
fall wheat and are working with the
Elders on four barrels of cider for
vinegar from drop apples.
125r7* Quorum of Seventy — We
have stored 600 bushels of barley and
have paid all the expenses incidental
to raising and harvesting the crop.
265th Quorum of Seventy — This
quorum of only seventeen members has
four acres of potatoes that are doing
well.
1st Quorum of Elders — We harvest-
ed 4,000 lbs. of beans from our crop.
Out of this amount we gave 1,000 lbs.
for the rental of the farm. We also
have twenty acres of fall wheat that
is up in good condition, and eighteen
acres for summer planting. In addi-
tion to this we have furnished labor
on the Church project and are working
with the High Priests of Blanding
Ward on the vinegar project.
2nd Quorum of Elders — All the
Priesthood groups of the Monticello
ward worked together on projects : We
have two acres of potatoes that have
not been harvested yet; two brethren
turned in 45 bushels of wheat each; two
brethren are raising one pig each; one
brother is supervising the raising of
some turkeys and one brother con-
tributed cash for his share of the pro-
ject.
Moab — The Elders held a dance to
raise funds to complete a home building
project. They took in $73 and the ex-
penses amounted to less than $25, leav-
ing a profit of over $50 for the fund.
Bear River Stake Mission
From a report by President Warren
E. Hansen the following items of
historical and faith-promoting interest
are noted:
"Each one of our active mission-
aries has been doing some special and
effective work during the summer. Most
outstanding was the work done by all
missionaries of District No. 2 in estab-
lishing the Branch at Promontory.
Other accomplishments are as follows:
Six members have quit bad habits and
have been ordained Elders, with two
more working for that now. There
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
have been five temple marriages and
fifty people have been brought into ac-
tivity who were doing nothing in the
Church. Another missionary and his
wife turned their bridge club into a
temple club. The women made temple
clothes for all and they have gone to
the temple at least once a month, hav-
ing a supper after.
"One missionary headed a committee
to get inactive tolks to Sunday School.
They report having people out that
had not been inside a church in twenty
years.
"Another stake missionary had his
teeth extracted and did not like to meet
people. So he started a correspondence
with distant relatives. He reports that
two of them have read several tracts
and are now nearly through with the
Book of Mormon."
Woodruff Stake
Ath. Quorum of Elders.
The officers have during the past
summer and spring sponsored the dig-
ging of five graves in the Evanston
Second Ward, three of which were for
the members of the quorum or their
families, and two of which were for
those who held no Priesthood. The
quorum does not solicit this work, ex-
cept in cases where they know that
the members are not in a position to pay
for this service by the sexton.
The quorum also repaired the house
of the widow of one of its deceased
members and the results of this project
are helping members to see what the
Church is trying to do in getting quo-
rum members to help one another.
4th Quorum of Elders, Emmett
Ward, Boise Stake:
This quorum has been very successful
with the canning project they undertook.
They have several hundred cans of cherries
and several hundred cans of apricots. In
place of an agricultural project each member
of the quorum has been assessed $2.00.
MONTHLY REPORT OF THE L. D. S. STAKE MISSIONS
Made by The First Council of the Seventy to The Council of the Twelve Apostles
For the Month of September, 1938
Thy Neighbor As Thyself
(Concluded from page 718)
products would not go into compe-
tition with our commercial factories
but would be used as a means of
enriching the lives of the less fortu-
nate.
HThe Presidency of the 187th Quo-
X rum— H. Dean Hall, Willard L.
Wood, Warren E. Hansen, Glenn
M. Severson, Chester Boss, Mervin
L. Nielson, and Glen W. Busen-
bark — suggest emphatically that no
one should be eligible for any help
if he does nothing to help himself
and the group. They know from
their past experience that, through
the individual projects which
Missionary Activities Sept.
1938
1. Evenings or part days spent in missionary work „ _ 6,573
2. Hours spent in missionary work — _ 14,594
3. Number of calls made _ 11,382
4. Number of first invitations in _ 4,277
5. Number of revisits 4,791
6. Number of Gospel conversations - _ 11,482
7. Number of standard Church works distributed (Does not include Books of Mormon
reported under Item No. 10) _ - _ _ _ 260
8. Number of other books distributed 728
9. Number of tracts and pamphlets distributed - _ „ _ 15,548
10. Copies of Book of Mormon actually sold 131
11. Number of hall meetings held by missionaries _ „ 247
12. Number of cottage meetings held by missionaries _ 448
13. Number of missionaries who attended cottage and hall meetings _ 1,617
14. Number of investigators present at cottage and hall meetings 2,259
15. Number of baptisms as a result of missionary work „ 145
(1) Of people over 15 years of age _ 63
(2) Of people under 15 years of age:
a. Both of whose parents are members .. 36
b. Others under 15 years of age 33
Classification not designated .. 1 3
16. Number of inactive members of Church brought into activity through stake missionary
service during the month _ _ 229
Additional Information
Number of stakes in Church _ _ 124
Number of stake missions organized _ „„ 119
Missionaries Actively Engaged
Number of stakes reporting , 97
Number of districts „ _ 362
Elders _.. _ _ _ 238
Seventies _ „ _ „ 1,274
High Priests _ - _ _ _ 236
Women _ _ _ _ _ 344
Sept.
1937
4,498
10,127
8,849
3,386
2,556
8,788
275
356
12,484
96
186
418
1,820
1,750
110
Total
2,092
247
118
113
90
299
229
923
226
239
1.617
each member has undertaken and
faithfully matured, their eyes are
more open to greater opportunities
around them and that they are far
better able to take care of them-
selves because they have proved
that one cannot bless a brother
without receiving an even greater
blessing for himself. With this
plan adopted, the responsibility is
placed squarely upon the shoulders
of the individual. It gives each one
a chance to think for himself and
the opportunity to do original
things and develop the great gift
which came from God and with
which he was born — individuality.
Those who are working under
this plan are not looking for some-
one to hand them gratuitously what
they require, but with honor, dig-
nity, and pride they receive when
need arises, because they have pro-
duced. The channels of the Priest-
hood are the sources through which
spiritual and temporal blessings
have been given and will continue
to be bestowed upon the children of
men.
If every quorum of the Church
had a project similar to the one in
Bear River Stake, the difficult times
with which we are beset would be
behind us and nothing but joy and
thanksgiving would abide in the
hearts of all.
r~c>
Wine Is A Mocker
(Continued from page 732)
and the swing arc was less on the
days when alcohol was given than
on normal days. As far then as
the reflex action of the petellar is
concerned alcohol acts as a narcotic.
The second experiment was on
the reflex action of the eyelid. A
delicate apparatus measured both
the time and movement as in the
petellar reflex. Again, the conclu-
sion is that alcohol acts as a narcotic
or reflex action. (Simplest Neural
Arcs ) .
"(1 ) Eye-reaction to a suddenly
appearing peripheral stimulus is a
thoroughly practiced part of an in-
dividual's response to his spatial en-
vironment. It samples his spatial
adjustments.
"(2) Speech-reaction to visual
word stimuli is a thoroughly prac-
ticed part of the individual's re-
sponse to his social environment. It
samples the elaborate mental com-
plex of the speech associations, in
one of its primitive and most firmly
established phases."
Therefore they conducted espe-
cially arranged experiments in these
two fields. At the conclusion of the
two, Doctor Benedict wrote: "In
general one must conclude that a
dose of forty-five cubic centimeters
of alcohol clearly increases the la-
tency of the eye-reactions." Con-
cerning the word-reaction experi-
ment: "The average change of
latency due to the ingestion of alco-
(Concluded on page 744)
743
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Wine Is A Mocker
{Concluded from page 743)
hoi is about three per cent. In view
of all our precautions and the re-
liability of our technique, this must
be regarded as evidence for a real
though slight tendency of moderate
doses of alcohol to increase the
latency of word-reaction."
If, then, both eye- and word-
reactions are slowed down by the
ingestion of alcohol, again we have
evidence that it is a narcotic.
An interesting experiment in
motor co-ordinations was tried. It
involved the movement of the finger
and the response of the eye. The
subject was seated in a steamer
chair, near the recording-camera of
a string galvanometer. A stand
with an adjustable arm rest was so
placed that the subject's right arm
was comfortably supported with the
hand near the edge of the recording-
camera table, but slightly above the
level of its top. The palm of the
hand rested against the verticle
wedge - shaped support, against
which it was held by the flexible but
regular pressure of a broad elastic
band. The sharp edge of this wedge
rested against the palm of the sub-
ject's hand, leaving the digits en-
tirely free to move in a horizontal
plane. In a relaxed position, the
upper phalanx of the middle finger
should be perpendicular to the face
of the recording-camera, so that
when it was attached to the record-
ing levers there would be as little
lateral movement of the levers as
possible. The operator was careful
that there should be no unnatural or
forced position of the hand or
fingers and that the arm was com-
fortable.
"\X7*hile the subject sat in a half-
reclining position in the steamer
chair, with electrodes in position,
and connected, for recording his
electro-cardigram as in word-re-
action movements, a normal pulse
movement was taken without finger
movements. Immediately after this
record, a combined pulse- and finger-
movement record was taken as fol-
lows: When the record started,
the operator said "go," in time with
a Jaquet clock beating seconds.
After eight seconds the operator
gave the signal "stop." After a
sixty second rest, but without dis-
turbing the position of the subject's
arm or finger, a second finger-move-
ment record was taken like the first.
The standard instructions, given
before each experiment, were as fol-
lows: At a given signal "go," move
744
the middle finger back and forth as
fast as you can until you receive the
signal "stop."
The eye-movements were meas-
ured from photographic records.
The net result of this phase of the
experimentation is that the velocity
of the eye-movements and the speed
of the reciprocal innervation of the
finger are both regularly decreased
by the ingestion of alcohol. As far
as these processes are an indication
of the adequacy of motor-coordina-
tion, the effect of alcohol on motor-
coordination is depressive. The ex-
periments indicate a widespread im-
pairment of motor-coordination as
a result of moderate doses of al-
cohol.
In an experiment undertaken to
find out if the acceleration of the
pulse which accompanies the inges-
tion of alcohol was, as is generally
supposed, an indication of stimula-
tion, the experimenters came to the
conclusion that the effect was caused
by a partial paralysis of the cardio-
inhibitory mechanism, or more sim-
ply, the partial paralysis of the heart
muscles which control the flow of
blood.
Another experiment v/hich was
undertaken to determine the sub-
ject's sensitivity to an electric cur-
rent, provided the following conclu-
sion: "The average sensitivity to
electrical stimulation is decreased by
moderate doses of alcohol."
Of all the experiments, the one
concerning eye-movements was con-
sidered by Doctors Dodge and
Benedict to be of the greatest im-
portance since the eye-movement is
the one most removed from the sub-
ject's will.
In conclusion we may say that the
results of all the experiments under-
taken prove that the effect of alcohol
on the neuro-muscular process in
man is narcotic. It immediately ren-
ders futile the general practice of
trying to stimulate a person by the
administration of alcohol. During
all these centuries we have been
mocked by wine. Are we content
to be deceived forever?
What can be done about it? That
is a problem for the whole people to
decide. First, we must arouse public
interest and educate the public.
When all the people are of one mind
on a subject, great and far-reaching
are the results. For instance, not all
babies are born liking mush for
breakfast in America and soup for
supper in France. These phenomena
are simply national customs. A sim-
ilar attitude toward total abstinence
would work wonders in any country.
Looking Toward 1947
(Concluded from page 727)
seed pods or withered flowers, and
insure a much longer season of
bloom in our gardens. We should
gather the seeds as soon as ripe, and
name and put them away until
planting time.
Fall is the time to prepare the
garden for winter rest and spring
blooming. Dig, plow, fertilize.
Make changes in the garden bor-
ders or flower beds, paths, etc. If
you have new plans, put some of
them into operation now — the more
work we do in the garden in the
fall, the less we shall disturb it in
the spring, when all it wants to do
is bloom and be beautiful. Now is
the time to mend fences, remove
dead plants, shrubs, trees, to clear
away all rubbish, especially from
corners and out-of-the-way places,
to clean and put away all tools.
We should plant bulbs, transplant
trees and shrubs, divide plants. We
must plant hardy seeds, such as lark-
spurs, bachelor's buttons, California
poppies, Shirley poppies, cosmos, for
early spring blooming now. We
could prepare the compost pits — two,
at least — for the stowing away of
grass cuttings, leaves, and all garden
trimmings, vegetable leaves, etc., so
that you may have the precious soil
they resolve themselves into. Never
waste anything that will make soil.
Soil — good soil — is very difficult to
get these days, and every home gar-
den should make as much as it can
for itself. We need two compost
pits or bins, because it takes a year
or more for Old Mother Nature to
turn garden refuse into usable soil.
One pit should be used for ripening
and one for fresh leaves. When the
contents of one pit are ready for use,
they can be used, and the pit is ready
for the next year's leaves, etc., while
pit number two is ripening — a con-
tinuous rotation of flower food.
Plan for the winter house or win-
dow garden — the cheery, faithful
geranium, begonias, bulbs, etc., ferns
and foliage plants that give such
cheer and delight to you as well as
to the passerby.
Surely, we whose heritage is that
of the beauty-loving Pioneers can
do no less than try to live to the
standards they set. By organizing
under the Church Welfare Com-
mittee and cooperating with agencies
in our communities, we can carry for-
ward the work which they so ably
began and bring beauty and comfort
into our surroundings in the com-
munity, our homes, and our churches.
CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE PRESIDING BISHOPRIC — EDITED BY JOHN D. GILES
WaJixL Jswudk&Jidu Wjitojaqsi, Qanuwiy, 1939
As we face a new year in a troubled world, Latter-day Saints face
*** another year of opportunity for service in the Church, for devotion to
the principles of the Gospel and for demonstrations of appreciation for the
blessings we have received.
We have been greatly favored in the year that has just ended. The
horrors of war have been averted. Economic conditions could have been
very much worse. As a rule, our members have enjoyed more than an
average degree of health and prosperity.
The Church has made substantial progress. New stakes and wards
have been created; our membership has shown consistent growth; activity
has increased in most wards and stakes; the Welfare Program has been
advanced to an encouraging extent, and in general the Church has prospered
and made splendid advancement.
We should all be grateful to our Father in Heaven for His many bless-
ings and manifestations of kindness and mercy.
Now, another year opens before us. What experiences and develop-
ments it will bring we do not know. One thing, however, is certain: the
New Year brings us opportunities for service and devotion to the Lord's
work, for cooperation with our brethren and sisters of the Church and
friends and neighbors of other churches, for overcoming our weaknesses
and shortcomings, and showing our appreciation for the blessings we have
received in the past by making every possible effort to live as true Latter-
day Saints.
The New Year offers a new opportunity to make our lives square with
the teachings of the Church, to improve wherein we have been remiss, to
comply with the commandments of the Lord through regular attendance
at Sacrament meetings, payment of tithing, respect for the Sabbath, observ-
ance of the Word of Wisdom, discharging our responsibilities in the
Priesthood and in other organizations, observing family and individual
prayer, living in harmony with our neighbors, dealing fairly in business
affairs and in every way possible living as true Latter-day Saints.
It is suggested that Teachers encourage all members to examine their
own activities of the past year and where improvement is desirable to begin
with the New Year, making every effort to order their lives in conformity
with the principles of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church.
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVE-
MENT OF WARD TEACHING
IN 1939
'T'he basis of successful ward teaching
is the love which the teacher has
for his fellow members, and his desire
for their welfare. Successful results
in this, as in every other branch of
Church work, can be most effectively
obtained by placing responsibility upon
men, and then requiring at suitable in-
tervals an accounting of the work
done.
The suggestions here made have to
do mainly with the getting of results.
They are subdivided into six headings,
as indicated hereunder;
(a) Selecting Ward Teachers:
The bishopric in their meeting should
discuss qualifications of men to be
selected. Qualities desired are: Love
of the Gospel, knowledge of the prin-
ciples, kindliness, tact, charity, per-
sistence. Though these qualities may
be lacking they can be developed.
The bishopric should personally and
in a heart-to-heart way consult each
teacher to be appointed and get his
promise to undertake the work.
(b) Instructing Ward Teachers;
The bishopric should instruct them
at the time of their appointment relative
to desirable qualities to be cultivated,
as follows:
Be clean — morally and physically.
Live the Gospel.
Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Pray together as companions before mak-
ing visits.
Be prepared on special message to be
delivered to members.
Gain a thorough knowledge of the Gos-
pel principles and instructions of the au-
thorities.
Make the time of visit convenient to
family.
Study each family and each individual.
Develop friendship for everyone visited.
Endeavor to meet each member of the
family.
Make visits profitable to everyone.
Encourage discussion by the family on
the matters presented.
Leave a blessing in every home.
Make stay only long enough to gain
necessary information, give necessary in-
struction and have such conversation on
the subject as may be advisable.
If the family is not at home, leave a card
advising of visit and inviting them to meet-
ing.
Seek the welfare of every family not only
during visits but at all times.
Make visits so interesting that the fam-
ilies will be glad to have return call.
Keep careful record of visits made and
information to be reported to bishopric.
( c ) Organizing of Ward Teachers :
In some wards one member of the
bishopric has general supervision of
ward teaching. In others, the bishopric
as a whole has general supervision. In
either case the teaching corps should be
organized with division presiding
Teachers in charge of several district
or block Teachers.
Division presiding Teacher, under the
direction of the bishopric, assigns a pair
of teachers to each district or block
in his division. If, for any reason, one
or more Teachers in his division can-
not perform their work temporarily,
he assigns others to this work or assists
himself. He should visit with one or
another pair of teachers to learn how
they do their work and to advise with
them as to methods of improvement.
He should be a man of initiative and
of resourcefulness.
If possible, sufficient ward teachers
should be available so that each pair
of teachers will have fewer than eight
families to visit each month. In cover-
ing their district, however, each pair
of teachers should endeavor to visit
every home, whether members or non-
members. If non-members are found
that are willing to be visited, they
should be reported to the bishopric or
special missionaries for further visits.
Careful account should be kept and
report made to the bishopric ( preferably
weekly) of people moving in or out
of the ward.
(d) Checking up on Ward
Teachers:
At least once each week (preferably
at ward Priesthood meetings ) progress
reports on ward teaching should be
obtained either directly from each pair
of Teachers, or from the division pre-
siding Teachers, and such encourage-
ment given by the bishopric as may be
desirable, looking to the carrying on of
the work diligently.
In some wards roll is called in weekly
Priesthood meeting of each pair of
Teachers, and in answering one of each
pair gives the number of families vis-
ited thus far. In others, the division
presiding Teachers submit slips show-
ing the progress made each week. In
either case the bishopric is in touch with
the progress of this important work.
This procedure need not require more
than five or six minutes' time in weekly
Priesthood meetings.
(Concluded on page 747)
745
CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE PRESIDING BISHOPRIC EDITED BY JOHN D. GILES
THE NINETY AND NINE
tt
And he spake this parable
unto them, saying,
"What man of you, having
an hundred sheep, if he lose one
of them, doth not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilder-
ness, and go after that which is
lost, until he find it.
"And when he hath found it,
he layeth it upon his shoulders,
rejoicing.
"And when he cometh home,
he calleth together his friends
and neighbors, saying unto
them, Rejoice with me; for
I have found my sheep which
was lost.
"I say unto you, that like-
wise joy shall be in heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repent-
ance."— Luke 15:3 to 7.
LAST OPPORTUNITY TO CON-
TRIBUTE TO ONE MILLION
ASSIGNMENT PLAN
At the beginning of 1938 a plan was
''^announced, under which the Aaronic
Priesthood members under 20 years of
age were encouraged to make an effort
to have one million assignments filled
during the current year.
Under this plan, each member was
to be asked to fill at least 26 assign-
ments per year, but preferably 52, or
one each week, which is the standard
recommended by the Presiding Bish-
opric. At the half year period, the
total assignments filled were 412,242,
being somewhat below the half million,
which was the goal for the first half
year. It is believed that the deficit can
be remedied if every member could be
induced to fill one assignment each
•week during the month of December.
There are in the Church 46,571 mem-
bers in the Aaronic Priesthood under
20. If each of these could be in-
duced to fill one assignment each week
during December, a total of 186,084
assignments could be filled in this one
month alone. This would mean that
this remarkable number of acts of ser-
vice in the Church would be performed
by members of the Aaronic Priesthood
quorums alone in one month.
It is believed that every effort to have
young men increase their service to the
Church, not only helps the Church, but
in even greater measure helps the per-
son rendering the service. This is the
purpose of the effort to have one mil-
lion assignments filled during 1938, and
3t is hoped that every quorum super-
746
visor will make a special effort during
December to have every member make
his full contribution of service to the
Church.
MAXIMUM ACTIVITY MARKS
HIGHLAND PARK WARD
AARONIC PRIESTHOOD
At A recent Ward Conference ses-
"^sion in Highland Park Ward of the
Highland Stake, the following activities
were reported on the part of the
Aaronic Priesthood members:
In the Sacrament service seventeen
Deacons passed the bread and seven-
teen other Deacons passed the water.
Five Deacons were staged as orderlies
among members of the Junior Sunday
School, assisting in passing of the bread
and water to the young children, and
also assisting in maintaining order. One
additional Deacon acted as a messenger
for the bishop; accounting for forty
Deacons in actual service, representing
the four quorums in the ward.
Five Priests participated in the ad-
ministration of the Sacrament. The
ushering was assigned to the Teachers.
The activity of such a large group of
Aaronic Priesthood members was a re-
sult of careful planning and the de-
velopment of a system over a period
of years, which is designed to bring into
activity each week, every member of
every quorum, as far as possible.
NEW PLAN OF STAKE
PRIESTHOOD CONFERENCES
'T'he new plan of Stake Priesthood
Conferences announced by the
General Authorities gives a splendid
opportunity to Aaronic Priesthood
leaders to arouse interest in these
meetings, and to martial the forces of
each quorum for full participation. Un-
der the new plan each quorum is ex-
pected to attend the Sunday morning
Conference session as a body, with all
the quorums for each ward sitting to-
gether. Representatives of Priests,
Teachers, and Deacons have been as-
signed places on the program, which
should add materially to the interest of
the boys and young men of Aaronic
Priesthood ages in this official Priest-
hood gathering of each stake.
Stake and ward chairmen, commit-
teemen, and quorum supervisors are
urged to give full cooperation in the
operation of the new plan, which
should prove decidedly helpful in build-
ing quorum unity and morale,
STUDY COURSES FOR 1939
/'"Nrders are now being received by the
^^ Presiding Bishopric for the new
quorum manuals to be used in 1939.
Every effort is being made to have the
manuals ready for shipment by De-
cember 10. In anticipation of the be-
ginning of the new course in the first
meeting in January, it is urged that
each quorum appoint a manual secre-
tary who will solicit orders from quo-
rum members for the study manuals
at 10c each. Quorum supervisors
should take the initiative in this plan.
Each quorum should have its order for
new manuals ready by December 15.
The supervisor should give the orders
to the ward chairman, who in turn will
request the ward clerk to send in the
combined order for all of the manuals.
In many of the stakes the orders are
sent in by the stake clerks for all the
wards, which reduces expense con-
YELL0WST0NE STAKE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD CHORUS AT STAKE CONFERENCE, SEPTEMBER
25, 1938.
President Heber J. Grant in center. On his left President H. A. Hess, and Counselors E. Glen Cameron
and A. E. Archibald. Of the 772 Priesthood members present at the afternoon session, 353 were Aaronic
Priesthood members. Professor Wm. Hanson, Conductor of Chorus, is at end of third row right.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
siderably, and has been found to be a
satisfactory method of distribution.
Each quorum supervisor should se-
cure the manual for his quorum as early
as possible and read all of the instruc-
tions before he conducts the first class
in the new year. As rapidly as pos-
sible thereafter, certainly within the first
month, he should read the entire
manual to become familiar with the
subject matter, the sequence of topics,
the special events programmed, and
the general phases of the program.
This is important.
Subjects for the study course for
next year are: Priests, "Spiritual
Growth;" Teachers, "Priesthood Re-
sponsibilities;" Deacons, "The Deacon
and His Priesthood."
The hearty cooperation of quorum
supervisors and others responsible is
urged in an effort to provide every
quorum member with a manual at the
beginning of the year.
AARONIC PRIESTHOOD
PROGRAM FOR 1939
/^omplete plans for Aaronic Priest-
^ hood quorum activities, projects,
and lessons are contained in the new
manuals for 1939, which will be ready
for distribution by December 10. Plans
for the observance of the 110th Anni-
versary of the Restoration of the
Aaronic Priesthood, including the Pil-
grimages to be conducted in connection
with it, are contained in the manual in
detail.
A new feature is a list of quorum
projects, both in connection with quo-
rum activity and as a part of the
Church Welfare Plan.
Special helpful instructions and sug-
gestions to stake and ward leaders and
quorum officers are also included.
Orders for the manuals are now being
received by the Presiding Bishopric.
The price is 10c each, postpaid. Orders
should be sent, preferably, through
ward or stake clerks.
STANDARD QUORUM
AWARD FOR 1939
Ctandard Quorum Awards for all
^ quorums of the Church reaching
the standards set by the Presiding
Bishopric and outlined in each of the
quorum manuals are again announced
for 1939. Under the plan presented
a year ago, quorums which qualify for
the Standard Award in 1939 will receive
the three-star certificate, indicating
that they have received the Standard
Award for four consecutive years.
Under this plan the regular certificate
is given to each quorum for the first
year in which it reaches the standards
set; the second year one star is added,
and an additional star is added for each
of the next two years.
The number of Standard Quorums
throughout the Church was practically
doubled in 1937 over 1936, and reports
already received indicate that applica-
tions for 1938 awards, which will be
received immediately at the close of
1938, will far exceed those of any pre-
vious year.
Responsibility of checking up on each
quorum of the stake and making appli-
cation for the Standard Award, if it has
been earned, rests with the Stake Chair-
man of Aaronic Priesthood. It is be-
lieved that a number of quorums have
actually earned the award, but because
the procedure recommended has not
been followed, the award has not been
applied for. It is urged that both Stake
Chairmen of Aaronic Priesthood and
their Committees that immediately at
the close of the year the records of
every quorum be inspected, and if the
award has been earned, that applica-
tion be made immediately to the Pre-
siding Bishopric. It is recommended
that the awards be presented in Stake
Conferences, or Priesthood meetings
in order that full recognition may be
given to the quorum officers for their
excellent work.
THE WORD OF WISDOM REVIEW
A Monthly Presentation of Pertinent Information Regarding the
Lord's Law of Health
YOUTH, CRIME, AND ALCOHOL
JUf ore than one-fifth of all crime tab-
ulated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation on its Uniform Crime Re-
ports is directly related to alcohol:
Violation of liquor laws, intoxicated
driving, drunkenness. Young persons
are prominent in this picture, for 38
per cent of all violations of liquor laws,
36 per cent of all intoxicated driving,
and 29 per cent of all drunkenness is
attributed to offenders 29 years old and
under. Judge John T. Medin, Sioux
Falls, S. D., is reported to have said
that of the 226 offenders most recently
committed to the state penitentiary,
225 have been drinking before they
engaged in the crimes for which they
were convicted and sentenced.
Extent of Youthful Drinking
Today all young persons have to
make a choice between drinking or not
drinking. A study made by Dr. Paul
Studenski, New York University,
shows that 83 per cent of the youth
between 18 and 25 in the area of his
inquiry were drinking. Two-thirds of
those from 18 to 21, and three- fourths
of those from 22 to 25 were drinking
hard liquors.
Another study, made in an eastern
seaboard state, shows that 54 per cent
of the young people questioned were
drinking.
Still another study, made by Allied
Youth in an important city in New
York State, where 2,200 senior high
school students were questioned,
showed that 48.62 per cent were
drinking, and that two-thirds of all the
students came from homes where some
alcoholic beverages were served.
Checking these results with high
school groups in Michigan, Illinois,
Oregon, Louisiana and South Carolina,
the results were approximately the
same: 44 per cent of the students
drinking, 60 per cent coming from
homes where alcoholic beverages were
served.
■ ♦
WARD TEACHING
(Concluded from page 745)
If any Teachers are unable to visit,
and the work is being hampered, the
bishop, through the division presiding
teachers, can make temporary assign-
ments to care for the situation.
( e ) Reports From Ward Teachers :
At the monthly teachers' report meet-
ing, to be held near the end of the month,
either as a part of the weekly Priest-
hood meeting or as a separate meeting,
report sheets should be turned in by
each pair of Teachers, preferably
through division presiding Teachers.
Information in writing should be
furnished regarding changes. Each di-
vision presiding Teacher should make
a verbal statement of the number of
families visited compared with the total
number in the division, together with
any comments. If any district teachers
have suggestions or questions they
should be given the opportunity to
present the same. Roll call of teachers
present should be had. Instructions
relative to following month's teaching,
and the nature of the message, should
be prepared. Commendation of the
activity of the Teachers should be given
and any especially encouraging inci-
dents related. This procedure can be
carried over, if properly arranged, in
a relatively short time.
Information to be handed in by dis-
trict Teachers to bishopric directly or
through division presiding teachers:
Names and addresses of families moved'
in and where from.
Names and addresses of families moved
away and where to.
Births, deaths, marriages, etc.
Cases of sickness, distress, and trouble.
Report sheet of visits.
(f ) Results to be Expected:
If the ward Teachers are performing
their part properly the result obtained!
will be:
Increased attendance at Sacramental and
other meetings.
Greater love and kindness of members for
each other.
Increase of faith among members.
Decrease of transgression and trouble.
747
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH,
President and Treasurer.
JOSEPH CHRISTENSON,
Vice President.
ARCHIBALD F. BENNETT,
Secretary and Librarian.
JOHN A. WIDTSOE,
A. WILLIAM LUND,
JAMES M. KIRKHAM,
MARK E. PETERSEN,
Directors.
HAROLD J. KIRBY,
Assistant Secretary.
L. GARRETT MYERS,
Assistant Treasurer and
Superintendent of Research Bureau
ELLEN HILL,
Assistant Librarian.
CYCLE TOURS TO BRITISH
CEMETERIES
By Clifford Hartley
TiyfAiNTAiNiNG progress in the genea-
*■ A logical activities of each branch is
a most important task, since we realize
the necessity of this great work. Pres-
ton Branch of the Liverpool District
has evolved a system of combining out-
ings with genealogical work which has
proved most successful during the past
two summers.
It has been our practice to have one
or more of the missionaries lead a group
of members on a cycle tour on the
weekly half holiday. The group goes
equipped with small notepads and pen-
cils, and the tour is routed to pass at
least two cemeteries. Upon arriving
at the graveyard, the Elder in charge
allocates parts of the area or rows of
graves to each member, who then copies
all the inscriptions in his territory.
The chairman of the local society
gathers all the entries and sorts them
into their various name groups.
This method has given splendid re-
sults, with more than 40 cemeteries be-
ing covered on 14 half-day trips. The
total mileage was about 300 miles, with
approximately 52 actual hours spent in
recording.
When our activities are completed
here the expense of searching records
will be in a great many instances halved,
and some possibly avoided altogether.
By the simple expedient of writing the
branch genealogical chairman, who has
the records in his keeping, all the in-
formation can be gained in a few min-
utes which formerly would have taken
weeks of graveyard searching.
This system has many other advan-
tages. We have noticed many stones,
while recording, which have suffered
the ravages of time, even though some
were in sheltered places. The thought
impressed me as I looked at these stones
that it is going to be difficult and ex-
pensive for someone to trace his gene-
alogy through that particular family,
and yet, how simple it would be for us
as an organization of the Church to
make ourselves responsible for the
recording of every cemetery in our own
home town.
We also found that by sending or
giving a copy of the epitaphs to the
minister of the particular church whose
yard we had covered, we often opened
the way for further work to be done on
the register inside the church. An out-
748
standing example of this is demon-
strated in the experience of a member
from Liverpool and the author. We
spent approximately six hours searching
the records of one church, and the only
fees the minister would take were a
grateful "thank you" and the promise
of a typed record of the families for
which we had been searching.
In this great work we find that where
a prayerful and sincere desire to work
is manifest, the Lord is more than will-
ing to help us. The responsibility that
is ours is brought home to us when we
are actually engaged in this work. My
own personal experience has eliminated
any doubt as to the authenticity of the
divine command that was given to our
Prophet, Seer, and Revelator in the
fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi.
I can testify humbly that I know and
have experienced those blessings I de-
scribe, and it is my sincere wish that all
of us may be counted worthy to have
the privilege of continuing in this work
for many years to come.
"TEACHING ONE ANOTHER"
The New Senior Genealogical
Course
Tt is the desire of the Genealogical
A Society that all Senior Classes com-
plete the lessons they are now studying
by the end of the year, so that all will
start with the new lessons the first of
January.
The lesson text for all Senior Gene-
alogical Classes for the year 1939 and
the first half of 1940 is entitled "Teach-
ing One Another." It is written in story
form and is made still more attractive
with numerous illustrations. It is now
in the press, and should be available
for distribution by the end of Novem-
ber. This lesson text will be printed
as a separate volume, and will be ob-
tainable in paper cover for 40c and in
cloth binding for 75c, postpaid, from
the Genealogical Society or the Deseret
Book Co.
All Senior Genealogical Classes
should start the new lesson course the
first of the year. There is an assigned
date for each senior lesson. Every
fourth week, however, instead of a
regular class discussion being held,
the members of the committee and class
members, after a preliminary meeting
together, will go out in pairs for home
teaching in the homes of the ward.
The text will give actual examples
of home teaching visits, effective meth-
ods of approach, how difficulties are
encountered and solved, and what as-
sistance can be given in record keeping,
research, and in temple work. In short,
all phases of genealogical and temple
activities will be exemplified in the
course of the story. At the end of these
lessons are listed "Points for Discus-
sion" which will serve to give practical
application to the truths presented in the
body of the lesson.
HOW TO TRACE YOUR
ANCESTRY
Tn the National Historical Magazine
(official organ of the Daughters of
the American Revolution ) for Novem-
ber, 1938, page 56, some helpful sug-
gestions on research are given which
are reprinted below.
In response to requests from our readers
for helpful suggestions in compiling family
records, we shall from time to time give
references that may serve as bases for
further research.
Our advice always is that the individual
first attempt to do her own research. Do
not try to collect everything that is to be
had on the surname and then try to fasten
the record on some well-known individual
of the same name. Follow your own lineage
according to an outline or chart from your-
self through your parents, grandpnrents,
great-grandparents, and so on, giving their
dates and consecutive residences. This is
the only satisfactory or reliable procedure.
Accept nothing that cannot be proved by
vital statistics, wills, deeds, and other offi-
cial records. Family tradition is usually
based upon fact, but it cannot be relied
upon until supported by evidence.
All sources of information should be ex-
plored, such as family letters, correspond-
ence with different relatives, town and
county histories, etc.; newspaper accounts
of funerals, especially those of rural com-
munities, often give extensive family data.
Undertakers' files are a seldom-sought
source of information. We have on file in
our Library several volumes of mortuary
records of persons who died during the year
ending June 30, 1850. These give the name,
age, state of birth, and cause of death.
Those of Georgia and Tennessee arranged
by counties are especially helpful.
Many localities are establishing genea-
logical departments in the public libraries.
This should be encouraged. The twelve
census schedules of 1790 should be among
the first reference books acquired and the
cost of $1.00 per volume is negligible when
one considers the world of information that
each contains. Our D. A. R. Lineage
Books, especially the later publications, as
well as those of other patriotic societies
with lineage requirements for membership,
contain excellent material for research.
Bear in mind always that cooperation is
the keynote of success in every undertaking.
General Superintendency
Y. M. M. I. A.
GEORGE Q. MORRIS
JOSEPH J. CANNON
BURTON K. FARNSWORTH
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM.
Executive Secretarit
General Offices Y. M. M. I. A.
50 NORTH MAIN STREET
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
General Offices Y. W. M. I. A.
33 BISHOP'S BUILDING
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Send all Correspondence to Committees Direct to General Offices
General Presidency
Y. W. M. I. A.
LUCY GRANT CANNON
HELEN S. WILLIAMS
VERNA W. GODDARD
CLARISSA A. BEESLEY.
Executive Secretary
President Grant's Tribute to Martha H. Tingey
From the remarks made at the
funeral of Martha H. Tingey,
former President of the Young
Women's Mutual Improvement As-
sociation, we have selected for re-
printing here these words of Presi-
dent Grant which we know will be
appreciated by the untold thousands
who knew of Sister Tingey's valiant
work in the M. I. A.:
"I feel grateful that the hour of these
services was changed so that I might
have the privilege of being present.
"Being a member of the first Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Associa-
tion organized in the Church, and one
of the counselors to the President, of
course, I have been as familiar as one
could be with the growth of the Mu-
tual Improvement work. Before the
Mutual Improvement work was started
a few of us belonged to a Literary Asso-
ciation known as the "Wasatch Liter-
ary Association." I was just writing
down the results of this beginning in
connection with Mutual Improvement
work:
"The President of the Church was a
member of our association; also Rudger
Clawson, the President of the Apos-
tles; also Apostle Orson F. Whitney;
Brigadier General Richard W. Young;
the first Governor of the State, Heber
M. Wells; Rulon S. Wells, of the First
Council of the Seventy; the President
of the Young Ladies' Mutual Im-
provement Associations of the Church,
Martha H. Tingey; the manager of the
Church Newspaper, Horace G. Whit-
ney, and many others. Last but not
least, some of us found our wives in
that association.
"All of the very splendid things that
have been said here today I know from
personal association and intimate ac-
quaintance with Sister Tingey to be
true. She was worthy of anything and
everything that has been said. I know
of no more faithful, humble, and true
Latter-day Saint than was Sister
Tingey.
"I am grateful indeed for the Gospel
of Jesus Christ; I am grateful in my
heart upon occasions of this kind far
beyond any ability with which the Lord
has inspired me to express my ideas of
true gratitude and thanksgiving. . , .
"We have the truth. We have the
Gospel and we have the Plan of Life
and Salvation. We have that which is
of more value than life itself, and of all
the women with whom I have been ac-
quainted I know of no one who had
that knowledge more perfectly than did
Sister Tingey. Her parents were
loyal and true Latter-day Saints. She
was born like Nephi of old of "goodly
parents," and that is one of the finest
heritages that any of us could have. . .
"I remember how happy I was while
in England, when I read of the calling
of Sister Tingey to be the President of
our Young Women's organization. I
thought it was a fine recognition of her
ability and integrity and devotion to
the Lord that she had been named the
President. I congratulate her family
on the very remarkable and wonderful
example that she has set for them. And
there is life eternal in store for all of
them — -not only life eternal but the
highest glory, if they will only follow
the splendid example that has been left
them by Sister Tingey, their mother.
"I am never so grateful for the Gos-
pel of Jesus Christ as I am upon occa-
sions of this kind. It has fallen to my
lot to attend funerals in far-off Japan,
in England, and in different parts of the
United States, and I have seen people
stricken beyond reconciliation at
funerals because of the anguish and
hopelessness of their outlook. . . .
"I want to leave my testimony with
you good people that from the time I
became interested in the insurance busi-
ness as a young boy of fifteen, meeting
with officials of various companies in
England, Scotland, France, Germany,
New York, Chicago, and San Fran-
cisco, my association has been with
people not of our faith, so far as my
business relations have been concerned,
and I have never found anything that
has been an obstacle to my faith in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. On the other
hand, I have been finding from time to
time, all these sixty-odd years, argu-
ments that appealed to the intelligence
that I possess regarding the divinity of
this work; and the lives of the faithful
Latter-day Saints, and the complete
failure of those who are not faithful,
even members of the Quorum to which
I belong that have not been obedient,
have been evidences to me that this
work is true. "Obedience is better than
sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of
rams," and no more obedient, splendid
sister ever lived than our good sister
whose remains lie before us.
"May God bless her memory and in-
spire her family to follow her splendid
example, is my humble and sincere
prayer, and I ask it in the name of our
Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen."
CREATIVE WORK IN STAKES
AND WARDS
HThe Theme Festival idea and pro-
gram this year will make history for
the M. I. A. We are confident that
the achievements in stakes and wards
will be long remembered. Particularly
it is desired that all officers and mem-
bers turn their attention to creative
work, "Developing the gifts within
them." Everywhere people should be
inspired and stimulated to write original
plays or dramatizations; to produce
original poetry and public addresses,
stories, or essays; to compose original
music and original dances, all illustra-
tive of our noble theme, "By love serve
one another."
SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE
DECEMBER
HP he program outlined for the Sunday
Evening Service of this month —
"The Savior of the World, the Divine
Guide along the Road to Happiness"
— can be made one of the most beauti-
ful of the series. Great care should be
exercised in its preparation. The peo-
ple of the ward should all be invited
to attend and should be informed ahead
of time as to the nature of the program,
so that they will come in a deeply re-
ligious attitude of mind. Those who
take part upon the program in the ad-
dresses, the book reviews, the stories,
the music, should do so in the spirit of
worship and adoration of the Redeemer.
M. I. A. ASSEMBLY
Programs up to date have been en-
joyed greatly in all of the wards of
the Church. Particularly entertaining
was the one on November 8th, "Be-
tween the Book Ends."
Let's Have Move Parties
(December 7th)
This also is a program of easy pres-
entation. Be sure to intersperse several
musical numbers between the talks.
An Evening With Bach
(December 14th)
If done well, this evening will never
be forgotten. Every person present
will be lifted up and enriched by an
increased acquaintance with this master
(Concluded on page 750)
749
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Mutual Messages
(Concluded from page 749)
of music. As suggested in the program
itself, there are three ways of presen-
tation, adapted to the various facilities
of the wards. It is hoped that no
association in the Church will omit this
evening on music.
Christmas Gold (December 21st)
Another lovely religious program is
offered for this evening preceding the
Holidays. Special invitation should be
issued to members of the ward to gather
together and enjoy the real Christmas
spirit, listening to the story of the Babe
of Bethlehem as told in the scripture,
and to choice poems interspersed with
Christmas Music.
Special Note: Our attention has
been called to the fact that a number
of associations invite persons from
other wards to participate on the Sun-
day Evening Service programs and also
on the Assembly Programs on Tuesday
evening. Where such is the case, we
strongly urge that these special guests
be invited to remain during the entire
evening, particularly at the Sunday
Evening Service. Their gracious spirit
of cooperation and their talented pres-
entations are deeply appreciated by all,
but it is felt that they should not accept
more than one appointment on an eve-
ning.
In the Executive Guide, the statement
was made that for the evening on
"Christmas Gold" the Era would give
some additional poems from which to
select. Two of them are given below
and attention is called also to the fron-
tispiece of this magazine and the poetry
page.
FOR SIX AT CHRISTMAS-TIDE
By Elsie Talmage Brandley
Around a table where the lamplight spreads
A ring of warmth, a pool of golden cheer,
Sit six I love, with pencils poised, and brows
Drawn into lines of puzzlement severe;
Of vital import is the work at hand —
To Santa Claus they write of little schemes.
To tell him of their needs and wants and hopes.
To ask him to remember all their dreams.
Their names are signed, ana 'ere the dream-fraught
page
Shall flutter, flame-borne, up the chimney-place.
They ask that I shall read with critic's eye;
Anxiety is stamped on each young face.
*****
To bed they troop, eyes full of distances — ■
So many things to make them glad they see;
Their letter safely off, their prayer well-said.
They give themselves to slumber, peacefully.
Tonight six children rest in deep repose,
Their slates of life all clear, their troubles few;
Tomorrow they will be six women grown,
With all the problems of the world in view.
They ask for party-dress with silken sheen;
For necklace on a white young throat to wear;
For books and games; for fruit and candy sweet;
A wrist-watch, and a doll with curly hair—
*****
My eyes grow misty, and the fire-flames
Are silver stars and arrows to my sight.
Where shall I seek to find for them the gifts
That I would put in stockings six tonight?
I would find magic fabric for a gown
To wrap its wearer close in happiness;
Its folds to be a cloak of modesty,
Its silver gleam white innocence to dress.
I would find Jewel of luster pure and clear--
The thoughts and hopes of radiant maidenhood;
Its setting simple, as the purest joy
Is found in simple task and quiet aood.
750
Their books should whisper from the pages new
Secrets of laughter and of hallowed tears;
Their games enchanted be— the games of life,
And rules to play them fair throughout the years.
Where to find sweets of spirit, and of heart7
Of kindly words to help along the way?
Where grow the fruits of years well-lived
loved? —
These would I put in stockings six, todayl
and
The watch should tick away throughout the hours
And measure only moments glad and gay.
And sound a little chime when danger nears,
And warn temptations, fraught with fear, away.
A doll I'd find endowed with power to speak
And whisper all the joys of motherhood;
With hands to grasp the heartstrings of a girl
And guide her into pathways light and good.
*****
I seek in vain for magic frock and jewel;
For witchery of time-piece, silver-chimed.
And drop, instead, a wordless little prayer
That life will bring the gifts I cannot find.
*****
And when their childhood days are put aside,
May they dream dreams for six, at Christmas-tide!
Courtesy Relief Society Magazine.
THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS
By Carlton Culmsee
Turning the yellow scroll of history,
1 saw that the most precious gifts to man
Have come from poor men. Bosoms thinly clad
Can feel the bitter wind of the world's need.
And there are earnest souls who are ashamed
That they can give the needy ones about them
So little food and clothing; so they search
Their hearts with the thin fingers of their longing
And sometimes bring forth strangely finer things.
My mother gave me much, but over all
I hold the love of Christmas that she fostered,
Christmas in deeper meaning.
First she lit
The little crimson candle of a baby's
Primitive glee with jolly Yuletide lilts.
Colors, and lights. Next with the tale of Christ
She kindled the white taper of young awe.
And then one empty Christmas-time, her sadness
At having nothing for the ones she loved —
A sorrow almost covered with a smile
And words of hope — she made me see a gleam
Of something that I should have seen before:
That folks in the threadbare garments hold the power
Of doing splendid deeds and giving greatly.
As Jesus proved long centuries ago.
That gleam has brightened to reveal a world
More rich and potent, with a sunrise flush
Of promise.
Likely I shall never gather
A heap of heavy gold, but I believe
That some day I may reach an inner vein
Of some strong metal for the tools of men
Who work the roadways to the high plateau.
From The Improvement Era.
HOTEL EXECUTIVE PRAISES
MORMON YOUTH CONDUCT
7V letter from the manager of the
Embassy Hotel, Los Angeles, writ-
ten to President Edward Sutton of
Oquirrh Stake, contains the following:
HOTEL EMBASSY
Grand Avenue at Ninth St.
Los Angeles, Calif.
President Edward Sutton
Oquirrh Stake,
Magna, Utah.
Dear Sir:
During the recent American Legion Con-
vention I was privileged in numbering
among the guests of this hotel, a group of
boys and girls from the Cyprus Post, Amer-
ican Legion, and I was told the majority of
these young people are members of your
Church.
The conduct of these young people was
so outstandingly fine, and they were so re-
freshingly wholesome they captivated every-
one with whom they came in contact. They
are a credit in every respect to their families,
their church and to the community of
Magna.
Upon many past occasions I have had
reason to write school and church author-
ities concerning juvenile groups who have
been at this hotel, and many of those letters
were not in a complimentary vein. You
may well understand the genuine pleasure
I have in writing you.
Respectfully yours,
(Signed) Andrew W. Baker,
Manager.
THE CIRCULATION OF
LIBRARY BOOKS
By Amelia Bennion
Dy this time, all of the books of your
collection should be accessioned and
a record made of each book. They are
also classified, each with a number, so
that each book is grouped on the shelf
with other books on the same subject.
Each is now prepared with a pocket
and a dating slip. Three cards should,
be prepared for each book, to be filed
in a box where people wanting books
can see just what you have in your
library.
Perhaps as you were classifying your
books to give them numbers, you found,
that a book contained more than one
subject. This made it difficult for you
to decide what number to give it. After
you reached a decision, you wanted
to let your patrons know by the cata-
logue about the other subjects treated
in the book. In order to do that, you
can make another subject catalogue
card with the new subject, the title of
the book and the author, and file it in.
alphabetical order. You can make as
many of these cards as you want, for
as many subjects in the book as you
think your patrons will want to use.
For example, in a life of Christ, if Mary
His mother is treated, write another
subject card and file it in the catalogue,
giving the pages on which the informa-
tion may be found, so that anyone want-
ing to know something about her will
be able to find it easily.
Now, in order that you may be able
to find all the catalogue cards for a
certain book (if it is lost or destroyed,
and not in your library any more ) write
on the back of the author card a list of
all the cards you have made for that
book. When the book is lost, all of
these cards should be removed. How-
ever, wait for a long enough time to
be sure that the book is really gone
and don't take the cards out if you have
another copy of the book or if you are
going to buy another. This process of
writing a list on the author card of all
the catalogue cards is called the tracing
(finding cards).
Another thing you can start now is
the circulation of books and keeping
an account of them. There is a card
in the pocket of each book, bearing the
accession number and the call number.
You also have a date-due slip on the
page opposite the pocket. When the pa-
tron brings the book to you to be check-
ed out, take out the book card from the
pocket. Write on it the person's name
(and address, if necessary) and the
date on which the book is due, and
keep the book card. Also write on
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
the date-due slip that date on which the
book is due, which is to remind the
borrower when to return it. In most
libraries a book is lent for two weeks.
If that is not sufficient time, the bor-
rower should bring the book to the
library and have it renewed for another
two weeks. This new date should be
stamped or written again on both the
book card and the date-due slip. File
these book cards in order by number.
If the book is kept out over time, de-
cide what fine you will charge each
day or week. Remember that the
trouble with many of our Church col-
lections of books is that they have been
borrowed with no record and have be-
come lost. A fine for over-due books
may remind borrowers to return them
on time. This fine money can be used
for buying new books or for supplies
used in preparing the books for circu-
lation.
When you inaugurate this system,
explain to the people of your wards
what your rules are and the purpose of
them and ask for cooperation. If pos-
sible, get permission to speak to each
auxiliary and all other meetings to ex-
plain the system, so that each auxiliary
will want to add books to these collec-
tions to provide reading material and
aids to their members in the study of
the lessons.
For you as a librarian, this will af-
ford an education, especially if you
look into the books enough to be able
to help people not only in caring for
them but also in helping them find ma-
terial that they may not know about.
A very famous librarian, the author of
some books on librarianship has said,
"Reference work is sympathetic and in-
formed aid in interpreting library col-
lections for study and research." A
book that will prove helpful to you is
Akers' Simple Library Cataloging.
M Men committee which will give
added interest to the tournament. Here
you are:
1. This year the expenses of ten men
instead of eight will be paid at the tourna-
ment. This will include nine players and
the coach who has been working with the
players during the year.
2. At the tournament this year the ex-
penses of all of the teams from out-of-town
will be paid for during the full period of the
tournament. This will include a meal on
Tuesday night when the teams begin to
arrive in town, and Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday. It will also include
a meal on Sunday morning before the teams
leave to go back to their homes. Until the
present, the expenses have been paid until
the teams have lost two games and been
eliminated from the tournament. So come
prepared to stay for the full tournament,
fellows, and if you should lose then stay
and enjoy the rest of the games anyway.
The expense will be paid.
3. Something extraordinary is being plan-
ned for all of the teams at some point dur-
ing the tournament, a get-together of some
kind.
So do your best, M Men everywhere.
We are planning on the greatest tourna-
ment in M Men history for next March,
in Salt Lake City.
-O"*-
*
Katie C. Jensen, chairman; Freda Jensen, Grace
Nixon Stewart, Helena W. Larson, Florence
B. Pinnock.
'T'he project of Treasures of Truth is
A certainly developing dozens of
treasure books full of priceless stories,
pictures, music, and poetry. Making
them is helping to carry out the Mutual-
wide project of love and service, for
how better may we serve our neighbor,
our children, our grandchildren-to-be
than to give them in attractive and read-
able form, true incidents which will
awaken or strengthen their testimonies
in this wonderful Gospel! What a
priceless heritage will be our testi-
monies, our experiences, and those of
our ancestors years from now when we
are gone. There is so much fine tradi-
tion in the Church that should be kept
alive by the Gleaner Girls.
The three nights designated for this
project during the year should motivate
the work, but girls who do much with
their books will have to spend time out-
side of the class. Their joy and that of
those who read their book will more
than compensate for any time they
spend. One group of Gleaners liked
the project so well when it was intro-
duced several years ago that they de-
cided to meet at one another's homes,
alternate Monday nights, to work on
their books and have a good time to-
gether. This group, although past
Gleaner age now, is still meeting and
working. Can you imagine how lovely
their books are?
Just begin and you will never stop,
and who knows the hidden talent as a
poet, artist, or writer of music that may
be uncovered.
The following is an original contribu-
(Continued on page 752)
IFrank W. McGhle, chairman; Dr. Franklin S.
Harris, Homer C. Warner, Floyed G. Eyre,
Werner Kiepe, Dr. Wayne B. Hales, Alma H.
Pettegrew.
"D asketball is in the air already. Al-
JJ though colleges and high schools
throughout the country are engaged in
working off their football schedules,
and that great national game holds the
interest of most athletic fans, the M
Men, nevertheless, are making plans
and even beginning their basketball
schedules in some places. This present
year should prove to be a banner year
for the largest athletic league in all the
world. New features have been passed
on by the General Board of M. I. A.
which undoubtedly will make for keener
competition than ever before. The
teams in every section will be more
anxious than ever before to come to the
All-Church finals held in Salt Lake City
because of these innovations.
M Men, everywhere, take careful
siotice of these recommendations of the
1. Queen and attendants of Gold and Green Ball
held in Alhambra Ward, Pasadena Stake.
2. Members of the cast of a musical playlet pro-
duced at the May Festival in Prague, written
and directed by members of the Y. W. M. I. A.
Story telling group of Second Ward, Parowan
Stake.
Cast of opera "Chimes of Normandy," pre-
sented by the Alpine Stake.
751
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Mutual Messages
( Continued from page 75 1 )
tion from the book of Elsie Standring
Collier, and we would like you to enjoy
it, too. If you like it as much as we
have, you might want to place a copy
of it in your own book.
WHAT THE GOSPEL MEANS TO ME
The Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints to me means a "bank that never
fails." I am guaranteed health, wealth, and
happiness for my dividends. Whatever I
put into this bank will always be mine, I
alone can cause it to depreciate.
I put in habits for good health, such as
moderate exercise, abstinence from tea,
coffee, tobacco, and harmful foods, a cheer-
ful outlook on life, restful sleep, and I take
out vitality, beauty, and a fit receptacle
for my spirit.
I put in hours of study of good works,
participation in Church activities, and con-
structive use of my leisure time, and I take
out respect of my fellowmen, ability to
impart truth and to develop my talents and
to help others to enrich their lives, and
knowledge which I can eternally build upon.
I put in payment of tithing, fast offer-
ings, and donations and take out thrift
habits, appreciation for what I have, and
the joy of knowing that I am helping some-
one in need, and that I am helping to bear
my share of expense for places to worship
and play in.
I put in prayer, faith, and repentance,
and take out the right to be administered
to by the healing power of the Priesthood,
the opportunity to express my thankfulness,
and courage to face problems in life.
I put in time seeking genealogy, in doing
temple work, and take out the joy of know-
ing that I will have kinship with those I
love in the next world, and that I have been
the means of opening the way for their
redemption.
Lastly, I put in kind words, good deeds,
enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, and take
out friendship and the "greatest thing in
the world" — love.
/"^ratifying responses are being re-
ceived from all over the Church
in connection with the plan to have
M Men and Gleaners meet together for
joint work. Here are a few reactions
from various localities where the pro-
gram as recommended by the General
Boards has been followed:
Since meeting jointly, our M Men and
Gleaner classes have grown rapidly in num-
bers. We have a large number of young
married men coming out with their wives
to the classes. Until the program was made
a joint affair we never could get these
young couples to come out to Mutual. The
interest in class work by the mixed groups
is just a joy.
We were very skeptical about trying out
joint work as recommended, but we shall
have to admit that it is working wonders
in this stake. The classes are becoming so
large, however, that we are seriously con-
sidering having the classes meet in sections.
The only thing we are afraid of, if we do
this, is that we will not be able to obtain
as fine teachers as we already have. Any-
way, we want you to know that your pro-
gram works in this stake, and we doubt if
we could make a success of separate class
752
work if that should ever be a part of your
plan again.
Your joint plan is working fine in the
wards of this stake where it is being tried.
Two wards have not been convinced that
it is a good thing yet. The attendance is
much better where the leaders are in favor
of the plan and they meet together
as you suggest. Our chief difficulty now is
getting the mixed groups to go home when
Mutual is over. They want to stay and
have a dance every night after Mutual.
They really want to be together more than
we intended. What shall we do about that
problem?
When we first started out, this year, we
had a fine group of Gleaner Girls and very
few M Men. So the Gleaner leader sug-
gested that the girls take it upon themselves
to get a group of M Men to meet with.
Each one promised to bring an M Man to
Mutual the next week. They did. Well,
we have the largest classes of M Men and
Gleaners that we have ever had. In fact
our enrollment is 400% greater than it has
ever been.
Thanks to the field. We were sure
it would work. More power to you
in your work.
%2
umiou
Marba C. Josephson, chairman; Lucile T. Buehner,
Emily H. Bennett, Angelyn Warnick.
■XXZe're entering the gayest, brightest,
vv and most shining season of the
year — December, the Christmas month.
Let's tell each other the story of the
Christmas Star, that shone so brightly
over the lowliest of mangers and the
newest of babies. Why do you sup-
pose a Star was chosen to guide both
wise men and shepherds? Did it repre-
sent the lovely "white light of truth?"
Perhaps Junior Girls would like to
be reminded that pure light, the "white
light of truth," is just the right propor-
tion and complete blending of all the
colors of the spectrum — from infra red
to ultra violet. It includes all the lovely
Christmas colors that stand in our minds
for fine ideals — faith, courage, hope,
love, growth. What does red stand
for? What does green mean to us?
Why not make the light of the Christ-
mas Star inspiring to our Juniors?
We can learn other fine things from
Christmas —
For one thing, we can learn to unify
— to "tie up" our bundles. When we
go shopping at Christmas, we find our
arms full — a necktie from this counter,
hose from another, handkerchiefs or
perfume in another package, and if we
do not actually drop or lose some of
our precious load, we are worried and
harrassed over the scattered responsi-
bilities. If we are wise, we'll tie them
all up together, or put them all in one
basket! In other words, we'll unify
them, which makes them easier to carry,
even though their weight and number
remain the same.
Let's "tie up" our Christmas Junior
bundles. For our cord we'll use a good
strong, glowing testimony and for our
wrapping paper, the Gospel plan, all
sprinkled with twinkling stars.
First, we'll begin with our lesson
bundle, December's lessons bring us
"home for Christmas." They start back
on the first bright road on the world's
history, where we walk with Adam in
the light of the Gospel and we end
right in front of our own hearthside,
figuratively speaking. Our Christmas
lessons tell the sublime story of our
own boy Prophet, our own dispensa-
tion, our own day, and our own special
opportunities. Let's make this restora-
tion a lovely Christmas Gift for our
Junior Girls.
Then let's take My Story — let's
wrap it up in our month's Christmas
package by filling it full of personal
experiences relating to the Gospel plan
— follow the ideas at the end of each
lesson, and suggest — for that little touch
of Christmas sparkle — that the book
itself would make a charming Christ-
mas Gift. In this connection beautiful
covers have been made by many of our
groups. Some are of wood, in the form
of boxes, roomy enough to hold all the
thick and well-filled leaves inside.
Next consider the theme "By love
serve one another" and our theme pro-
ject "love and service in the home."
Wrap that idea up with the Gospel
plan and see what an effective and spir-
ited Christmas package it becomes.
Can we do something this year with
our idea that we are all one family,
children of God our Father, and that
His kingdom is our home? Work on
it for Christmas.
And then, the reading course book.
How about Junior Girls getting to-
gether and buying a copy for their class
as a Christmas Gift, or for their mothers
— or mothers for their Junior daughters.
It's a fine idea and a fine book and it
ties up beautifully with our Gospel
ideals and our Christmas spirit.
Then for our last bundle, let's have
our Junior-Explorer Dance — a very
gracious, young, merry sort of party
growing out of our dance instruction,
and joint plans for the year. Let's
have it very carefully wrapped up with
our fine L. D. S. standards. Let it be
very much a part of our month's bundle,
but also let's have it so sparkling with
fun that the light of Christmas will live
all year in Junior hearts. And may this
year's Christmas Star shine radiantly
for all of you!
Ethe! S. Anderson, chairman; Margaret N. Wells,
Bertha K. Tingey, Ileen Ann Waspe, Lucy T.
Andersen, Caroline Adams.
"Dee-Hive girls care for children of
*"* mothers attending October Con-
ference! Saturday and Sunday were
outstanding days for some of the Bee-
Hive Girls in the Salt Lake City Stakes.
For two busy, noisy, happy days they
applied in their lives the Bee-Hive
Theme Project, "I will taste the sweet-
ness of service through neighborly acts
for children." Rooms in the Assembly
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Hall were converted into a nursery. In
one place children were gay as the
girls helped them to build castles and
roads in the sand piles; in another, chil-
dren climbed and gleefully swept down
the slide. There were also several in-
terested groups surrounding the girls
as they told stories, sang songs, and
played games. Relieved mothers call-
ing for their children at the end of the
afternoon expressed their appreciation
of this unusual service.
This is one way our girls found to
apply the theme project. What are
you doing in your ward or stake to
stimulate your girls to make the pro-
ject a part of their lives? Christmas is
such an appropriate month to render
service. The spirit of the season is one
of giving. Also the three ranks are
all working in the Field of Public Ser-
vice and the project adapts itself best
to that field. Have your girls make
gifts and toys for a child, or organize
a story-telling festival for the children
using Bible Stories or stories of Christ-
mas in other lands. Have you thought
of having your swarm present a Christ-
mas play for children? Suggest daily
good turns that might be done for chil-
dren in the home or neighborhood.
These might include:
1 . Relieving mother or neighbor by tending
smaller children:
a. Telling stories.
b. Singing songs,
c. Finger Plays.
d. Games.
e. Making toys.
2. Offering to tend a tired child who is
bothering a mother in Church.
3. Being kind to children and refraining
from teasing them.
The Bee-Hive Committee would like
you to make a report to them of ways
and number of times that your girls
have rendered service to children.
Your Bee-Hive work is now well
under way. You should have complet-
ed the work and awarded foundation
cells and structural cells in the fields of
Out-of-Doors and Religion. If you
adopted the suggestions of the com-
mittee, all Builders are now using the
new handbook. Encourage each girl
to get her book and band while she is
a Builder. The Gatherers should be
happily working in the old book to com-
plete the work they started last year.
They should use this handbook en-
tirely and not use any parts of the new
book because that causes confusion.
The Guardians are working under the
plan as contained in the new book.
The girls should each have a set of
sheets containing the foundation and
structural Bee-Lines which may be
purchased from the office for two cents.
We hope that your girls have access
to and are enjoying the Bee-Hive Read-
ing Course Book, Little Soldier of the
Plains.
As we enter the holiday season the
Bee-Hive Committee wishes to extend
to you and your girls our greetings and
kindest wishes.
D, E. Hammond, chairman; Philo T. Farnsworth.
Arthur E. Peterson.
Asa part of a Church-wide campaign
to acknowledge and recognize the
efficient types of leadership which have
in the past years contributed to the
unparalleled record of the Church in
Scouting, there is published here the
first pictures of a series of men who
have received the highest award within
the power of local councils to grant —
the Silver Beaver. This award is made
by the National Council upon recom-
mendation of Local Councils for "out-
standing service to boyhood."
In the campaign now being carried
on throughout the Church to attract
every possible boy and young man to
the Scout and Explorer programs, Silver
Beaver Scouters will be, in many cases,
the key men.
Pictures of other groups of Silver
Beaver Scouters will be published in
future issues of the Era.
MEN WHO HAVE HELPED MAKE L. D. S. SCOUTING OUTSTANDING
Top row, left to right: S. M. Nielsen, former president North Sanpete Stake, Mt. Pleasant, Utah; David Smith, President North Idaho Falls Stake; Henry
A. Gardner, President Palmyra Stake, Spanish Fork, Utah and President Utah National Parks Council, B. S. A., Provo, Utah; Dr. Ray J. Davis, President Tendoy
(Pocatello, Idaho) Council; John W. Condie, State Superintendent Public Instruction, Boise, Idaho; Bishop W. L. Kilpack, Idaho Falls First Ward; Dr. J. W.
West, Field Commissioner, Teton Peaks Council; J. W. Kirkbride, former President Cache Valley Council, Supt. of Cache County Schools, Logan, Utah. Second row,
left to right: Jesse Evans, Explorer Commissioner, Rexburg (Idaho) Stake; Chester Thomas, Scout Commissioner, Oquirrh Stake, Magna, Utah; Dr. L. D.
Pfoutz, Chairman of Camping, Utah National Parks Council; Lloyd A. Davis, Stake Group Chairman, Shelley (Idaho) Stake; W. E. Nelson, Stake Group
Chairman, Wells Stake, Salt Lake Council; Lyle E. Ranck, Stake Scout Commissioner, Bonneville Stake, Salt Lake Council; Henry K. Abischer, Explorer Leader,
Logan 5th Ward; Phil Hurst, Stake Group Chairman, San Juan (Utah) Stake. Photo Courtesy Deseret News.
753
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
THE STORY OF OUR HYMNS
(Concluded [com page 725)
horizon. The true Gospel was re-
stored, and in 1830 the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
was organized. The unrest, doubt,
uncertainty of the religious world
were the birth pains of the old re-
ligion born again.
It was during this befuddled period
that John Henry Newman on June
16, 1833, wrote his immortal hymn
while the orange boat in which he
took passage was becalmed on the
open sea. The hymn was the
outcome of a mind tortured with
doubt. The first stanza is a longing
for home — a cry in the night — a
prayer for light.
That last line, "One step enough
for me," recalls an incident in the
life of the father of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. He was in serious
trouble in Kirtland and could not see
his way out of his difficulties. One
night he dreamed that his path was
obstructed by a huge wall. In de-
spair, he was about to give up when
he heard a voice saying "Take one
step." He took the step and the
wall moved a little. He took another
and the wall receded another step.
One step at a time he advanced until
he was in the open and the way made
clear. That dream was experienced
long before "Lead, Kindly Light"
was written.
The second stanza is a plea for
forgiveness, a confession of a self-
centered and pride-ruled life.
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past
years.
This is an admission of past
wrongs, but a confidence that God
will forgive the penitent and blot
out their remembrance; a verse that
has helped and comforted many a
struggling Christian.
The third stanza is a note of as-
surance that the power that has
guided him will still lead him over
the troubled waters till night is gone.
The last two lines,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost
awhile
have caused considerable speculation
as to their meaning. Newman, when
asked what these two lines meant,
said he "was not bound to remember
his meaning at the end of almost
fifty years." Some believe it refer-
red to his guardian angels, which,
during his dark days he felt he had
lost for awhile.
In the Parliament of Religion, held
in Chicago in 1893, there were two
things found on which the represen-
tatives of every creed could agree.
One was "the Lord's Prayer," and
the other "Lead, Kindly Light."
This hymn is not included in Lat-
ter-day Saint Hymns, but is found
in Deseret Sunday School Songs. As
it is used by all Christendom, so,
also, it is often sung in our congre-
gations.
The Tune and Its Composer
A^ore than thirty years elapsed
after Dr. Newman wrote his
hymn before it was put to music by
Dr, John B. Dykes. In the interim
it was treasured in various publica-
tions on account of its rare lyric and
poetic beauty. However, it did not
secure its high place in hymnology
until it was joined to Dr. Dykes'
tune. One writer called it a "perfect
marriage of hymn and tune" — Dr.
Newman himself, said: "It is not
the hymn but the tune that has gain-
ed the popularity. The tune is
Dykes', and Dykes is a great
master."
Dr. John B. Dykes was born at
Hull, England, March 10, 1 823. He
began his musical career as director
of the Cambridge Musical Society.
He was the author of three hundred
hymns; and it was the custom of the
family to spend Sunday evenings
trying over his tunes for approval or
criticism. From 1849 to 1862 the
composer was Dean of Durham
Cathedral. In 1862 he became vicar
of St. Oswald's Church in Durham,
and remained there until his death,
which occurred on January 22, 1876.
THE CHURCH IN NEW YORK CITY
{Continued from page 730)
Their roots go deep in time. Neither
winning nor holding a soul in the city
of New York has proved an easy
task. The groundwork was laid by
the missionaries. The indomitable
Parley P. Pratt opened the mission
in this city one hundred and one
years ago. From that day to this,
with the exception of occasional
lapses, the missionaries have con-
stantly preached "unto the City of
New York"- — warning the people
"of the desolation and utter abolish-
ment which await them if they do
reject these things." In the main,
they have found the city as Elder
Pratt described it — "of all places, in
which the English language is
spoken, the most difficult of access
to the minds and attention of the
people."
Nearly thirty years ago, Ben E.
Rich as president of the mission
instituted the practice- of installing
local Saints in important branch po-
754
sitions, thus not only strengthening
the branches, but also releasing the
missionaries for other duties. In
line with this policy, James S.
Knecht, now patriarch of the New
York Stake and member of the High
Council, but then a new and faithful
convert from Pennsylvania, was ap-
pointed president of the Brooklyn
Branch. Later Dr. Harvey Fletcher
was made president of Manhattan
Branch, and for a quarter of a cen-
tury, these two stalwart leaders, with
others, have gathered, organized,
preached, taught, advised, married,
baptized, buried, and blessed the
Saints, and otherwise administered
to their material an<d spiritual needs.
During all this time, they have been
richly blessed and have had a great
influence with the people. Since
coming to New York, President
Fletcher has gained world-wide re-
nown as a scientist, having been hon-
ored by engineering, physical, and
scientific societies, and appointed
Director of Physical Research of the
Bell Telephone Laboratories. His
faith in the Gospel has been a great
testimony to many scholars and
young scientists, who have at times
found difficulty in harmonizing
science and religion.
No less faithful have been many
others of the Saints in this far east-
ern outpost. The high council is a
tower of strength. Every member
has performed outstanding Church
work. Jointly they have rendered
approximately two hundred and
three years of Church service in the
East, exclusive of their labors in
other stakes.
The auxiliaries, genealogical so-
cieties, and Priesthood quorums are
also capably manned. Sunday after
Sunday for more than twenty years.
Dr. Howard R. Driggs, a member of
the General Board of Deseret Sun-
day School Union (and also a
former president of the Manhattan
Branch), has carried the Sunday
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
EVIDENCES AND RECONCILIATIONS
[Concluded from page 713)
is measured as accurately as possible, and the
average change produced in say one year, is com-
pared with the total effect produced by that process
during the interval that has elapsed since its com-
mencement. ( See Arthur Holmes, The Age of the
Earth, p. 29. )
The earliest method of estimating geological
time was to discover the maximum thickness of the
stratified formations in the earth's crust and to
determine the amount of sediment carried annually
into the ocean. Geological study indicates that the
thickness of the earth's stratified formations is at
least 360,000 feet (Holmes, p. 79), and that the
annual discharge of sediments into the ocean is
such as to require millions of years for the deposition
of the strata in question. It is admitted that this
method can indicate only long periods of time, and
not definite measurements in years.
A somewhat more satisfactory method deals with
the salt in ocean water. It is assumed that the
first ocean water was fresh. The sodium chloride
or salt that it now contains has been dissolved from
the sediments brought down into the ocean by the
rwers. The water has been evaporated and con-
densed into rain over and over again, but the salt
which is not volatile has remained to increase the
saltiness of the ocean. Estimates have been made
of the annual discharge in the rivers of earth, their
load of materials, and the probable amount of salt
in the water and the sediments. Similar estimates
have been made of the amount of salt in the ocean.
Then by simply dividing the annual addition of
salt into the total amount of salt in the oceans, the
number of years of the accumulation is obtained.
By this method, acknowledged to be subject to many
corrections, salt has been added to the oceans for
a period of about 330 million years. According to
this calculation, the earth must be at least that old.
The discovery of radioactivity and the element
radium, furnished an unexpectedly accurate geo-
logical hour-glass that has been used in estimating
the age of the earth.
The element uranium is radioactive. That is,
it emits spontaneously, continuously, and uniform-
ly various radiations. As it does so it is degraded,
passing from one form to another, including radium,
until the final residue is lead. That is, there is a
life-limit to uranium, radium, and several other ele-
ments. Methods have been developed by which
the rate of this degradation may be measured ac-
curately. The amount of lead, or radium in asso-
ciation with uranium will then point to the length
of time since the uranium was formed.
It has been found that the age of uranium, de-
termined as above suggested, is lowest in the more
recent rocks and highest in the oldest rocks. This
is a confirmation of much previous geological work
on the relative ages of rock deposits. The age of
the oldest rock approaches, by this method, 2,000
million years. The earth must then, by this form
of study, be at least that old.
It is a curious fact that studies by modern meth-
ods of the age of the solar system have yielded
similar results, that is, about 2,000 million years.
It is a most interesting chapter in modern explora-
tion. ( See, The Age of the Earth, Arthur Holmes,
1937; also F. J. Pack, Science and Belief in God.)
Those who hold to the long-time age of the earth
point out that present scientific data indicate "an
epoch of creation," 2,000 million years ago.
Every person must decide for himself, on the
basis of the evidence produced, which of these
three opinions as to the age of the earth, before
Adam, seems most reasonable to him, whether ( 1 )
six days, or (2) six thousand years, or (3) many
millions of years. Clearly it does not matter to one's
daily welfare or salvation which view he adopts,
except that every Latter-day Saint must seek and
cherish truth above all else. — /. A. W.
THE CHURCH IN NEW YORK CITY
School banner in this great city, hu-
manizing the Gospel, teaching its
heauty, and teaching teachers how
to teach it. A newly-organized
Church Welfare group is struggling
with the staggering responsibility of
administering to the material wants
of needy families. The magnitude
of their task will be partially visual-
ized, when it is realized that the cost
of rent alone in this congested city
is ten times the monthly average
administered to needy cases in the
West, and that practically one hun-
dred per cent of the family food
supply must be purchased from gro-
cery stores, garden projects being
difficult. A full-time Church em-
ployment office has been established,
which has found some three hundred
jobs for unemployed members dur-
ing the past eighteen months.
The stake missionary group has
accepted its calling, its activities in-
creasing rapidly. On a Wednes-
day afternoon, facing the former
home of the New York Tribune, and
across the square from a statue of
Horace Greeley, its famous former
editor whose just and potent pen
turned American public opinion
against "Buchanan's Blunder" and
stayed Albert Sidney Johnson's
sword, one may find the president
of the New York Stake Mission pro-
claiming the Gospel to a curious and
skeptical, but attentive, crowd.
The New York Stake pays an
excellent tithing, is ahead of the
Church average in attendance at
Sacrament meetings, fast offerings,
and Priesthood activities, and fin-
ished fourth in the latest Era cam-
paign.
Found within a day's drive of the
city are many of the eventful scenes
connected with the birth and early
history of the Church. Occasional
pilgrimages are made to such sites
as the Prophet's birthplace, Har-
mony, Hill Cumorah, and the Sacred
Grove. A reminder of one of these
early Church incidents recently oc-
curred, when Columbia University
conferred an honorary degree on
President Fletcher. By a strange
coincidence, he was seated under a
large oil painting of Charles Anthon,
who will be remembered as the
(Concluded on page 756)
755
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
The Church in New York
(Concluded from page 755)
learned Columbia professor who
first gave and then withdrew from
Martin Harris a certificate addressed
to the people of Palmyra, certifying
that the ancient characters displayed
to him were authentic, and that their
translation was correct. "Politics,"
we are told, "make strange bed-
fellows," No less strange are the
associations wrought by time. Could
there be a stranger picture than that
of a Mormon Elder receiving an
honorary degree from Columbia
University, in company with a cab-
inet officer, a Federal judge, two
college presidents, a Catholic bishop,
and an Episcopalian prelate, under
the shades of Professor Anthon?
Time has slowly but certainly
tempered the hatred held in the
hearts of men for all things Mor-
mon; enlightenment is eliminating
prejudice, and members of the
Church are being judged dispassion-
ately for what they are. The radio
programs of the Salt Lake Choir,
the broadcasting of the conferences,
the commendable newspaper articles
concerning our Welfare program,
the work of the Bureau of Informa-
tion on Temple Square, and the
ever-growing popularity in the press
of President Grant, are effective
contributing factors to this favorable
result.
To say that our organization in
New York has made any mass im-
pression on this city with its twenty-
five hundred churches and six mil-
lion inhabitants divided among fifty
sects, would doubtless be an exag-
geration of the facts; nevertheless,
each member has his individual
friends; and thousands of people in
the East, in all walks of life, think
better of the Church because of their
intimate acquaintance with one or
more of its resident members.
Life in the East has not dimmed
but rather greatly strengthened the
testimony of the active members of
the stake. A close view of the
world's wisdom, works, and follies,
forms a background, against which
the Mormon mode of living stands
out in sharp relief. This mode of
living, developed in the West, has
proved its validity in the urban East,
thus demonstrating its universality.
Commonplace Things
( Concluded from page 73 1 )
along. Oh! that was great fun. We would
play with Rover, your dog, as he ran along
behind the wagon.
The crickets would be singing, and your
dad whistling some old-fashioned song.
756
Darkness would almost swallow us, then
we would drop off to sleep. The next thing
we knew we would be home. Home, supper,
a warm bath and cool sheets.
There was more to her letter. She
asked questions about games of "Run
Sheep Run," and how all the small
town romances had ended.
What a fool I'd been. What a
blind little fool.
"Aren't you ever going to bed?"
It was Thressa McDonald's voice
coming from the top of the stairs,
"We are leaving early in the morn-
ing, and I think the modern Emer-
son and Hawthorne should get a lit-
tle rest before she goes."
"I'm not going," I choked out.
"Not going!"
"Not for a while, Thressa. I have
some writing I just have to do."
"But I thought — "
"I know, but I've changed my
mind about this inspiration stuff and
I'm going to write a story — a real
story. It will be my masterpiece
and I'm going to call it 'Common-
place Things.' "
I can't remember whether I ex-
pected Thressa McDonald to be
provoked, disappointed, or just an-
gry, but I do remember that when I
climbed the stairs to where she stood,
she was smiling an understanding
smile.
. ♦ .
On the Street Called
Straight
( Concluded from page 722 )
vinced. This time he throws in, for
good measure, the life of his newly-
born son, his own life, his eyes, his
hands and his feet, as a wager, and
will let us have it for four and one-
half units as the last price. We still
are not convinced, but to finish the
argument we go up half a unit and
our offer stands at three and one-
half.
"Why, this is unheard of. I
never lost so much on any deal."
He shows us other bars and will
gladly let us have them for the price
we offer, but he says that they are
inferior in quality, because the bar
in question is the acme of quality.
At last, his friend, who up to this
time has been silent, comes in be-
tween us and tries to mediate. He
finds that our difference is half a
unit. That is, if we go up that
amount and the store-keeper comes
down half a unit, we will have the
same amount. So he asks the pro-
prietor for his (that is, the medi-
ator's) sake, to come down half a
unit and asks us to go up half a
unit. (It is all a "put-up" job.) We
both agree and the bar of soap
transfers ownership, so also do the
four units of money. As we leave
the store, we pledge our eternal
friendship, invite him to our house,
because henceforth we are broth-
ers, and he does the same.
Actually I bought several bars at
a higher price than a native would,
of course. But it is fascinating to
buy oriental style. If the amount in
question is larger, the time consum-
ed is proportionately longer. Goods
which, say, cost ten dollars in Unit-
ed States money, would take a full
forenoon to buy in the oriental style.
But many foreigners come, and, not
knowing the custom of the coun-
try, give what is asked of them,
blissfully ignorant of the fact that
they paid sometimes as high as
three or four times the amount for
which they could have purchased
the article.
Of course, mention of the fact
that the customs and habits are the
same as they were at the time of
Father Abraham, suggests that the
beliefs are also the same, which
brings us to the preaching of the
Gospel. It is extremely difficult. The
first thing they will tell you is that
what was good enough for their
ancestors is good enough for them.
And fortunate you are indeed if you
can shake that belief. Another dif-
ficulty arises from the fact that the
people here have been crushed so
hard during and since the World
War, that their sole endeavor now
is to eke out a meager existence. If
they do that, they consider them-
selves fortunate.
Here is an example. A sister who
is a member of our Church has a
husband, a non-member, who is a
polisher of furniture. He works
fourteen hours a day, for which he
receives the equivalent of 40 cents
a day in United States money. Out
of that amount he has to feed six
mouths, pay rent, buy clothing, and
pay school tuition. (The schools-
are not free here.) You talk relig-
ion to that man and see what an-
swer you get. His foremost thought
is how to stretch that forty cents
to pay for the necessities of life.
And so it goes. Of course, there
are the rich here as well. But as the
Savior hinted, it is a difficult matter
to interest the rich, not only here
but anywhere. I have had several
opportunities to show the lecture
slides, pertaining to our Church, to
purely non-member audiences, and
have had countless interesting con-
versations. The seed, at least, is be-
ing sown.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
The Protestors of
Christendom
{Continued from page 724)
itself against church authority. To
agree with Huss was to overthrow
all law and order. Gerson wrote:
"The most dangerous error, destruc-
tive of all political order and quiet,
is this — that one predestined to dam-
nation or living in mortal sin, has
no rule, jurisdiction, or power over
others in a Christian people. Against
such an error it seems to my humil-
ity that all power, spiritual and tem-
poral, ought to rise and exterminate
it by fire and sword rather than by
curious reasoning."17
On November 28, Huss was
seized and taken before the pope and
the cardinals. At this first hearing,
he said: "I came of my own accord
to this council, and if it be proved
that I have erred in anything I am
willing humbly to be corrected and
amend."38 At four o'clock he was
again taken before the cardinals and
articles of accusation were read.
"They accused Huss of ( 1 ) teaching
the necessity of receiving the Eu-
charist under both kinds and of at-
tacking transubstantiation; (2) of
making the validity of the sacra-
ments depend on the moral charac-
ter of the priest; (3) of erroneous
doctrine concerning the nature of
the church, its possessions, its disci-
pline, and its organization." Huss
was held in custody for eight days
in Constance and then taken to a
dark, narrow, damp dungeon close
to the mouth of a sewer in the Con-
vent of the Dominicans on a small
island in the lake.
John XXIII (December 4) ap-
pointed a committee to take testi-
mony against Huss. Huss asked for
counsel, but it was contrary to the
law of the church for anyone to de-
fend another suspected of heresy.
On March 24, the bishop of Con-
stance had Huss chained and taken
to the castle of Gottlieben in the lake.
During the day Huss was permitted
to walk about in chains, but at night
he was handcuffed and securely
fastened to the wall. Here Huss
suffered from toothache, headache,
hemorrhage, and bad digestion. At
the beginning of June, Huss was
taken to a friary in Constance to be
within more convenient reach and
hearings were held from June 5-8.
"On June 15, the council took the
far-reaching action forbidding the
17In Creighton, Papacy During the Reformation, vol.
1, p. 334.
18Articles of Michael de Causis, Palacky, Docu-
menta, 199, in Creighton, Papacy During the Re[or~
nation, p. 336.
giving of the cup to laymen. This
action Huss condemned as wicked-
ness and madness, on the ground
that it was a virtual condemnation of
Christ's example and command. . .
He saw indisputable proof [therein]
that the council was fallible."18
t-Juss was finally permitted to ap-
pear before the council. In some
particulars he was accused of hold-
ing doctrines he had not taught:
"The first accusation was that Huss
denied the doctrine of transubstan-
tiation. This he could declare with
truth, to be a false charge. Cardinal
d'Ailly, however . . . engaged in
an argument to show that Huss
ought, according to his principles, to
deny that doctrine. . . ."20
Huss's case was largely judged in
advance. When he appeared be-
fore the council, he was asked if he
acknowledged certain writings as
his, and when he began to defend an
article from one of them that had
been read, and "cited many passages
from scripture, . . . they exclaimed
that all this was nothing to the point.
Whenever he began to speak he was
interrupted and not allowed to utter
a syllable. ... At length when
Huss saw it was no use, that he
could not be heard, he determined
to remain silent. This silence was
now interpreted as a confession that
he was convicted."21
Of the three popes, the council
persuaded the Roman pope to re-
sign and deposed the other two.
John XXIII, before his deposition,
fled from Constance, was brought
back and imprisoned in the castle
of Gottlieben for a short time only,
and then given a high position of
honor. Huss writes in a letter:
"Now you may understand what the
life of the clergy is who say they
are true representatives of Christ
and His Apostles, who call them-
selves the most holy church, the most
infallible council; and yet this same
19Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 5,
II, p. 379.
20Neander, Church History, vol. IX, II, p. 496.
21Neander, Church History, vol. IX, II, p. 495.
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council has been in error; it has first
honored John the Twenty-third with
bowed knee, and called him most
holy, while yet they knew that he
was a shameful murderer, and guilty
of other crimes besides, as they af-
terwards declared when they con-
demned him."22 In another letter, he
writes, "Wherefore did they kneel
before the pope — kiss his feet, and
call him most holy father, when they
knew him to be guilty of a most
atrocious crime? Wherefore did the
cardinals choose for a pope, one who
was the murderer of his prede-
Though the council had accused
John XXIII of nearly all possible
crimes, yet was he not guilty of
taking his own conscience as guide
in religious matters — he was not con-
sidered dangerous. An apostate
church knew no means of reconcil-
ing the conflicting positions of the
council and of Huss; and d'Ailly
presented the demands of the coun-
cil to Huss, "First that thou humbly
declarest that thou didst err in those
articles that have been produced
against thee; next, that thou prom-
isest on thy oath, neither to hold nor
to teach such opinions any longer;
thirdly, that thou dost publicly re-
cant all those articles." Had Huss
promised this, he would not have
been set free, but imprisoned for
life. However, Huss replied, "I re-
peat, that I am ready to be instructed
by the council; but I beseech and
conjure you by Him who is the God
of us all, that you do not force me
to what I cannot do without contra-
dicting my conscience."23
On July 6, Huss was conducted
to the cathedral to hear sentence
pronounced upon him. After listen-
ing to a sermon and the forbidding
of any demonstration on pain of ex-
communication, Huss heard the sen-
tence read condemning him as a
"real and open heretic," "the disciple
not of Christ but of John Wyclif,"
and ordering him to be degraded
from the priestly order. Six bishops
then took off his priestly vestments,
put a cap on his head with pictures
of the devil and commended his soul
to the devil. He was then turned
over to the civil power for fitting
punishment: a guard was on hand
to take Huss outside the city to be
burned. He was chained by the
neck to a stake and straw and wood
were piled around his body to the
chin and sprinkled with rosin, and
he was again asked if he would re-
cant. As the flames arose, he sang,
(Concluded on page 758)
22In Neander, Church History, vol. IX, II, p. 526.
23In Neander, Church History, vol. IX, II, p. 513.
757
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
PROTESTORS OF CHRISTENDOM
(Concluded /rom page 757)
but the wind blew the fire into his
face, and his voice was stilled.
His ashes were thrown into the
Rhine so that nothing might remain
of him. The pagans had disposed
of the ashes of Polycarp in the same
manner.
No member of the Council of
Constance is known to have ever
protested against his sentence. No
pope or council has ever expressed
regret for it.
Before the time of Constantine the
Great, the church could excommuni-
cate members and, with the consent
of the disputants, could arbitrate
disputes. It was Constantine who
gave the church the power to try
cases and to have decisions enforced
without the consent of the parties
involved.24 Heiner states also:
"In order to attain this ( eternal sal-
vation), it (the Church) may toler-
^Heiner, Katholischces Kirchenrecht, vol. II, p. 7.
ill kit ,1,, ,
ate nothing which contradicts divine
commands of its own. The faithful
should obey these ( commands ) vol-
untarily, but the Church can not al-
ways rely on the good will of her
members. . . . She has need there-
fore not only of means of a purely
spiritual nature, but also of external
means of compulsion. . , . The
lawgiving and judicial power would
without the power to compel ( die
zwingende Mache) have no val-
ue.
"Whoever has the power to set up
legal standards, to him belongs also
the faculty of assuring the observ-
ance of the same and of compelling
obedience to all of the commands
and prohibitions, which are requisite
for the safe-guarding of the rights
of the individual and of public order
and which are taken in order to
uphold ( sichern ) Christian prin-
ciples as the basis of the life of
Christian society; to this end he must
be able to break the rebellious will
""'Heiner, Katholisches Kirchenrecht. vol. 2, p. 77.
by means of external [physical]
punishment. The legislative power
[conferred on the Church by
Christ] includes therefore in itself
the judging and punishing power.'"
When practiced, as in the case of
Huss, such a theory tends to destroy
all ethical life. It makes hypocrites
of those who conform and destroys
those who do not. The medieval
church apparently knew no solution
of the problem presented by the con-
flict of authority, claimed by the
council, and the liberty of the in-
dividual conscience. What shall we
think of the inspiration of the council
that condemned a man to be burned
whose only offense was obedience to
a sensitive conscience? True, the
Council of Constance was held four
hundred years ago, but an inspired
Church was in possession of the
solution nearly fifteen centuries be-
fore that, and a restored Church was
to have it again.
^Heiner. Katholisches Kirchenrecht, vol. II, p. 7.
BRITAIN LOOKS AT THE MORMONS
(Concluded from page 719)
volves great risks, but men who take them
add greatly to our knowledge.
• * •
The Mormons
Utah, perhaps, will remain more firmly in
history as the scene of slow journey rather
than a 347-miles-an-hour car dash. That
was nearly a hundred years ago, when the
Mormons dragged their heavily-loaded
wagons across wide prairies and rugged
mountains into the valley of the Great Salt
Lake.
The faith of the Mormons, which began
in ridicule, now stands in dignity and re-
spect. They have created a worthy and
useful institution whose members do good
by teaching and by the example of their
upright lives.
Chades of the past! Such candid
praise and utterly open-minded
comment would cause much turning-
over in graves that were closed a
century ago. But the visits to Utah of
such men as Sir Malcolm Campbell,
John Cobb, and Captain George
Eyston, and the visits to Great Brit-
ain of such men as President Heber
J. Grant, and the various presidents
of the British and European missions,
and generations of physically fit,
mentally-alert, clean-living Mormon
missionaries have broken down the
19th Century superstition and have
cleaned up the disgusting slander
and libel and widespread miscon-
ception among the uninformed.
Two days after the Daily Express
comment referred to above, Caval-
cade, the British News-magazine,
under date of August 27, 1938, under
"Religion" ran a two-column story
758
topped by a two column picture of
"Mormon Baseballers — Champs of
British Baseball League" which
account read:
"Keep Fit" Mormons: Claim Ten tvill
Convert Ten Thousand More
"Give me some men who are stout-hearted
men,
Who will fight for the right they adore.
Start me with ten, who are stout-hearted
men,
And I'll soon give you ten thousand
more."
So sing Mormons all over the world, and
at the present moment there are in England
sixteen athletic young men from Salt Lake
City (Utah) who are giving the words a
real meaning.
Ambitious Programme
Scattered over England there are more
than 6,000 members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is full title
of the Mormon religion. Immediate aim
of the sixteen young missionaries is to in-
crease this number by 16,000, and in this
aim they are being considerably aided by
the Government's "Keep Fit" campaign.
For physical fitness is part of the Mor-
mon religion. No true Mormon would
dream of smoking, touching any form of
alcohol, and in consequence they are the
fittest and one of the most vital religious
groups in the world.
Baseball Champs
In this country they run a baseball team
which topped British Baseball League table
last season. In the North the fame of this
team of young Mormons, styled Rochdale
Greys, spread to such an extent that their
matches were often watched by crowds of
5,000 people.
At basket-ball their prowess is almost
legendary. That is why they have been
called to help with Lord Aberdare's "keep
fit" movement.
Sixteen young Americans have been in-
vited by the Norwich authorities to coach
the Norwich Youth Movement in the game,
help to form teams in the district. Result:
by day they are basketball coaches, by night
travel around the district holding meetings,
preaching, organizing community hymn-
singing.
Besides these sixteen young men there
are Mormon missionaries all over England,,
preaching their creed of brotherly love and
Anglo-American friendship, slating exces-
sive alcohol consumption.
For the purpose of their campaign they
have divided England into fourteen districts,
subdivided these districts into seventy-two
branches, each branch being plentifully sup-
plied with missionaries.
Success
This methodical campaign has proved
extremely successful. Each year has seen
a steady growth in the numbers of Mor-
mons in this country. Since they arrived
in this country one hundred years ago they
have had to fight against blind prejudice
brought about by untrue stories circulated
about the polygamous inclinations of the
Mormons.
Everywhere they went they were met with
sly winks, jibes about their "boat-loads" of
wives. In the years that have passed they
have succeeded in living down this calumny
to such effect that 85,000 English Mormons
have emigrated, set up in Salt Lake City,
spiritual home of the world's 800,000 Mor-
mons, actual home of 700,000 true believers.
Hopeful for the future of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this
country is the American organiser of Eng-
land's Mormons, modest, drawling Hugh B.
Brown."
Thus it is that Britain looks at the
Mormons — and the Mormons at the
British — in their country and in ours,
and both find cause for a growing re-
spect and increased understanding in
a relationship that has now persisted
more than a century.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
THE RETURN OF SOLOMON CROSLEY
(Continued from page 721)
He turned his eyes away at last.
The spring was his — and the pas-
ture. The law had said so, and
there was none to prove it false.
To be sure Turner had insisted
that Solomon's father, affectionate-
ly known as Old Man Crosley, had
given half-rights to the spring and
all the pasture; but the letter was
lost — if there ever had been one.
Then had come that unforget-
table March day when Molly, go-
ing to the garret for quilt pieces,
had found the yellow faded "copy'
in the old cowhide trunk. He could
see it now — frayed at the edges, the
fine writing of a bye-gone day, al-
most obliterated by time.
"A copy of my letter to Carter
Turner.
"I, James Crosley, do will one-
half the rights to Granite ledge
spring and appurtenances, thereof,
to you, Carter Turner, and your
descendants, together with the hill
pasture and two yearling ewes."
There had been more, but he had
not stopped to read. He had torn
the document from Molly's fingers,
ripped it into a thousand fragments
and fed it to the hungry flames.
Molly had stood like a woman of
stone, — faith and trust slowly dy-
ing in her eyes.
Then spring had come again, and
with it the terrible disease that slew
the innocent on every side. Turn-
er's child had recovered — a cripple,
but not hopeless, if treated skilfully
in time. To his own little Carol
there had come no such reprieve.
The little dancing feet were stilled
forever.
It was then he had broken faith
with God and man. It was then he
had fenced off the spring and turn-
ed the brook from its ancient chan-
nel, so that no overflow could find
its way to Turner's parching fields.
Many looked to see the "Wrath of
God," poured out upon his boun-
teous acres. Little did they know
that the searing flames of hate and
anger, and the cankerworm of
greed and envy were consuming
the very fibres of his soul.
Jri E turned at last into the
canyon road. Sagebrush and cedar
dappled the low hills that rolled up
to meet the ledges. Below roared
Rainbow Falls. Solomon knew
what cruel javelins hid beneath that
false promise. He had seen the body
of an Indian guide two hours after
his fateful step, all resemblance to
human form obliterated.
He stopped the horses, un-
harnessed them and gave them
grain, then set swiftly to cutting
down a dozen dead and dying pines
and cedars. One little, green spruce
he placed carefully in the wagon.
He had yet to lie to a child.
At last he had enough down,
ready for the horses to drag to the
wagon where he could lop off the
branches and load with little effort.
Black Bess and Major came will-
ingly at his call, and he soon had
the work well under way. He fas-
tened the mare's tugs to the last
tree — a giant cedar whose dead
branches, growing from one gnarl-
ed side, rose like tentacles in the
air. Bess gave one pull; the tree
whirled like a top. Solomon went
down under the impact of the
slashing limbs, rolled, caught fran-
tically at the empty air and drop-
ped down into the spreading green
boughs of a juniper tree that grew
out and up from the granite ledge.
For a moment he lay there stun-
(Continued on page 760)
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THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
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THE RETURN OF SOLOMON CROSLEY
(Continued from page 759)
ned and half-crazed with fear.
Then slowly and cautiously, he
worked his way in, onto the shelf
of rock where he lay for many min-
utes, too exhausted to think.
Why, he was in his old room at
home. Someone was calling his
name.
"Sol, get up you lazy bones.
Don't you know it's Christmas
morning?"
His sister Letty was standing by
his bed; his brother Tom was hold-
ing something shining and new be-
fore his sleepy eyes.
"A gun, a real gun!" he shouted,
reaching for it with eager hands.
His hand touched only the cold
bare rocks. He closed his eyes with
a shudder. Then with shaking
hands, he unfastened his belt and
buckled his left arm to a gnarled
limb of the old tree.
"Hello, Daddy-dunky," a little
voice called down at him. His eyes
flew open to look up into the sweet
face of his own little Carol. She sat
with her feet hanging over the
ledge — feet in worn-out little shoes,
dusty little socks. A pink gingham
apron was tied about with a red silk
tie. How she loved bright things!
Her sunbonnet had fallen down
behind so the golden blossoming of
curls hung over her shoulders in a
silken web. Just so she had run to
meet him hundreds of times.
"This little pig has come out to
get some grass," she laughed, wrig-
gling her toes until one bare mem-
ber poked its pink tip between the
ragged edges of her shoes. She
picked up a handful of leaves and
pushed them into the gap. The
"pig" responded with deep grunts
of appreciation and shrill squeals
for more. He laughed aloud until
his voice re-echoed from the gran-
ite walls.
She leaned toward him, one fin-
ger laid upon her laughing lips.
"Sh! did you get the dolls?"
"Don't come so close, pet," he
begged. "Pa's afraid you might
fall."
"But the dolls," she insisted.
"Two dolls, for June and Minnie
Turner. I want them this long."
She held her hands apart, sur-
veyed the intervening space with
a critical eye, extended them again.
"There," she smiled, "As long as
that/'
She slipped down beside him in
spite of his protests. "Now, meas-
ure," she commanded
He held up his free arm and she
"measured" it from elbow to finger
tips. The next moment, she was
dancing on the bank above, kissing
her hand to him as she flitted out
of sight.
He looked about him. Night was
coming on. The sun had been down
for half an hour, and his legs were
growing cold and numb.
Summer? Daisies? The fields
were full of them. Molly in a new
print dress walked with him
through the meadows.
"You'll forgive me, Molly," he
begged, catching at her hand.
"Oh, I do forgive you, Sol; I al-
ways will."
JTlE came to himself with
a start. It was almost dark. He
thought again of that Christmas
day when he was twelve. A gun!
How he had loved to tramp the
hills. His two boys! How he had
robbed them of their heritage. And
Carol! Had she come to save him,
too? Molly — patient, loving, for-
giving— was it now too late?
"Oh, Lord!" he prayed. "Don't
let me die here with my sins upon
me. Give me another chance. Show
me the way, Oh, Lord! Show me
the way!"
Along the eastern horizon a soft
scud of clouds was closing in. A
filmy fragment of moon slipped
through the intervening space. The
clouds shifted and then — he saw
the star! There it hung, still and
luminous above the peaceful valley.
Beneath it lay the Turner acres and
his own. Then the clouds closed in,
and hid it from his gaze.
He lay for a long time thinking
and planning. A snowflake fell
upon his cheek — another and an-
other. Then something coarse like
tasseled rope slipped across his
wrist. He heard an impatient nick-
er above him. The mare, hearing
his half-delirious laughter, had
come in dumb inquiry of her mas-
ter's plight. Though she had the
weight of the cedar behind her, she
had come.
He caught the dangling halter
rope in his hands. Cautiously and
with excruciating pain, he slowly
drew himself to his feet. With a
foothold in the rocks and the rope
tied under his arm pits, he made
his way up. He lay for a while ex-
hausted and shaken, then with
greater effort rousing himself, stag-
gered to his feet.
After endless moments, he har~
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THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
The Return of
Solomon Crosley
nessed the team and climbed into
the wagon, but not before a second
little spruce nestled by the side of
the one under the seat. The horses
turned their heads willingly home-
ward, but at the end of the canyon
road, he urged them into the high-
way.
And so it was that over an hour
later, the loafers at Pederson's Em-
porium were startled almost out of
their wits, when Solomon Crosley
walked unsteadily in. Not once in
four years had he crossed that
threshold. Now as he stood there,
white and haggard, his wet, wind-
tossed hair straggling over his
weary eyes, he was a sight to
frighten anyone. The loafers rose
to a man and moved discreetly into
the background. Jennie Crane, bal-
ancing her cash, cringed behind the
counter.
Olaf Pederson, alone, advanced
apprehensively. "He iss all dere,
poys; noddings to vorry apout," he
beamed at the silent circle.
Jennie, reassured, came timidly
forward. "Is there anything I can
do for you, Solomon?"
"Yes, Jennie, plenty and to
spare," he answered. "But first, I
want Olaf to make out some papers,
givin' John Turner back his pas-
ture and his rights to Granite-Ledge
Spring. You're a Notary, Olaf.
Swear in two of these men when
yer ready. Now boys, heave to it.
To every man who helps Jennie,
I'll give ten pounds each — candy
and nuts, with a dozen oranges to
boot."
An orange in the countryside had
not yet become an adjunct to the
morning meal. It was a name to
conjure with, a fruit of the gods.
One meant a Christmas treat; a
dozen gave the "Midas-touch!"
The men rose with alacrity and
stood attention at Jennie's side.
"And now, what?" demanded
Jennie, "I've got to have instruc-
tions."
Solomon looked at her dumbly
for a moment, then thankfully re-
membered Molly's list in his pocket
and gave it to her. Jennie gave her
orders like a general. Such a scuf-
fle of feet, crackling of paper, pop-
ping of strings! Such a weighing
and measuring and counting! Such
a peeping into boxes and barrels as
they flew back and forth at her
These advertisers merit your support.
bidding. Trumpets tooted, bells
jingled, drums rolled!
Sam Jolly chose the sweaters and
caps; Jed Mason chose the shoes
and socks; Bert Cameron, because
he had worked in a laundry, chose
the shirts and ties; Solomon, en-
tirely dominated by Jennie, chose
the things for his wife and daugh-
ter. Stiff, rheumatic old man Beams,
who couldn't work, played the har-
monica to a water-glass accompani-
ment.
At last everything was sacked,
boxed, or bundled and stowed
away in the wagon. Somebody no-
ticed at the last minute there were
no presents for the Turner babies
and another general scramble en-
sued. A train, a wagon, a sack of
marbles for the biggest; ball and
blocks and woolly bear for the mid-
dle-sized; an assortment of rattles
for little "Brand-new," restored the
equanimity of everyone.
Someone had timed the finish to
a second. Solomon opened the door
to find the team harnessed, the pres-
ents covered with the horse blank-
ets, and the men and boys perch-
ed along the sides of the wagon box
{Continued on page 762)
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THE RETURN OF SOLOMON GROSLEY
762
(Continued from page 761 )
with their booty between their
knees. At every lane and corner
the wagon stopped, and one by one
they scuttled away through the
snow for home like rabbits running
to cover, anxious to begin the dra-
matic recital of the night's adven-
tures, a tale that would lose noth-
ing in the telling.
He turned into the Turner gate
at last. A feeble light shining
through the tiny window panes as-
sured him that the family were still
awake. Quietly, he stacked the gifts
beside the door, went to the win-
dow and looked in. A boy of four-
teen sat on an old settee vigorously
scouring the rusty barrel of an old
gun. The father sagged forward in
his chair, his long arms dangling
lifelessly between his knees. At the
table by the light of a single sput-
tering candle, the mother painted
the cheeks of a big rag doll with
berry iuice.
Jolomon turned to the
pile : i presents, selected a long box
and knocked vigorously on the
door. Without waiting a response,
he walked in upon the startled
little group. Turner arose, mingled
fear and defiance on his pale,
drawn face.
"John, I've brought ya back yer
land, and the half share to the
spring," Solomon said hoarsely*
laying the document on the table.
The man stood staring like a sleep-
walker, unable to adjust to this new
thing.
"Get yer wagon greased and in
shape," he added. "I'll borrow a
team, and we'll haul over yer share
of the hay and grain."
He then turned to the boy and
taking the old musket gently from
his knees, laid the box in its place.
"Here, boy, this will be more to
yer strength. Dave and Jim'll be
wantin' to hunt jack-rabbits with
ya after this storm."
The woman was now on her
knees by the chair, sobbing and
praying. He slipped a bit of pink
paper — half of his savings — be-
tween her clasped hands and hur-
ried from the room.
He was scarcely back into the
wagon when Turner ran out into
the yard waving the check and
shouting, "Take back this money,
Sol Crosley. The deeds are enough.
God bless you, the deeds are
enough."
"Go back into the house, John,
or you'll catch your death. You've
been a fool long enough."
The horses had no need of urg-
ing now; they pushed forward rap-
idly, only too anxious to reach thf
shelter of their own dry stalls. Solo
mon tied the reins to the brake
handle and humped forward, his
head bent to meet the wind. Sud-
denly he felt old and useless, suck-
ed dry of all his strength. Though
he had ridden on the crest of the
wave, he now felt only the back-
wash of his emotions. Doubts and
fears assailed him. Would his own
receive him, or would they cast
him out?
The horses turned in at the open
gates. The light from the kitchen
window called him from his stupor.
Stopping the team, he hurried for-
ward, only to find the warm, clean
room deserted. He looked toward
the stables. A great square of mel-
low light reached out across the
snow. He began to run, stumbled
and fell, and got up again^ The
second time he was too weak to
rise, but crawled through the slush
and mud until he reached the great
posts by the door.
Within, a strange sight met his
startled gaze. Molly, her face alight
with some high purpose, was fold-
ing blankets for the saddle bags
that hung down on the gray mare.
Jim, hatted and coated, was down
on his knees splicing the saddle
girth with leather thongs. Marty
was pouring something steaming
and hot into a can and wrapping it
carefully against the cold. Dave,
dressed like an Eskimo, was al-
ready astride the bay — grandfa-
ther's ancient musket behind his
saddle horn. Little Buddy, yawning
and half asleep, sat on a broken box
— his little pink pajama legs peep-
ing accusingly from beneath his
coat.
"You'll not forget, Marty," Mol-
ly spoke at last, drawing on her
mittens and placing her toe in the
stirrup, "two shots means 'Send
more help.' We'll stop at the Cor-
ners and get the Cameron boys.
Grandma Cameron'll send Jim in
on a horse to have the church bells
ring; three shots means, 'We've
found him.' Fill pans with snow
and don't let the fire go down."
Then their eyes met. In an in-
stant she was sobbing in his arms.
The children crowded around with
reassuring hugs and cries of joy.
"Pa," Dave whispered brokenly,
"I'm sorry — I didn't mean — to talk
Mention "The Improvement Era" when you patronize advertisers.
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
The Return
of Solomon Crosley
so rude. You oughta slapped me
twice."
Marty laid her brown head
against his arm. "It's me that's sor-
ry. Pa. I never meant to get so
cross and mean."
Solomon looked from one to the
other.
"Well," he said at last in an ef-
fort to clear the nightmare from his
brain, "The team's standin' by the
house. Go drive em in, boys; bed
all the horses down and feed 'em
well. And mind ya," he admonish-
ed, "Unload the wagon first. Be
careful of them two long boxes, fer
I've heard tell how water rusts a
gun barrel somethin' terrible."
The boys stood like stone for a
split second. Then with whoops
and shrieks and catwails, turned
cartwheels, leaped, and raced to-
ward the house.
"And you, miss," he said, pinch-
ing his daughter's tearwet cheeks,
"You go see they don't leave out
them squarish boxes. Jennie Crane
says old rose silk shows water spots
like hog fat. I hope it fits," he called
as she started for the door. "Jennie
says it's a forty-three — now, may-
be it was a thirty-four."
"Why, Pa," she scolded, running
back to pinch him playfully on the
cheek, "of course it's a thirty-four.
It's Grandma Bowles that wears a
forty-three."
"And you, Molly, I've things fer
you," he whispered, as he gathered
Buddy's drowsy little body close
within his arms. "But first, I want
to tell you, I've deeded Turner
back his land and rights, and give
him 'boot' besides."
"Oh, Solomon," was all she said;
but he saw the faith and trust re-
kindle in her eyes. Then, as one
worthy of a priceless gift, he kissed
the little curl behind her ear.
Arm in arm they walked into the
night. The storm had ceased and
all the stars were out. There, in the
gay galaxy hung his star, that, like
the one that shone over Bethlehem
Town, had led him to a stable door
where he had found again that
"Peace" of which the angels sang.
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Memorial volume of the Writings of
HARRISON R. MERRILL
Fifty poems, articles, stories, that preserve something
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Dr. Vasco M. Tanner
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
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763
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
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PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN
(Continued from page 717)
discovered that they were out of the road
and that they would have run me in a ditch
with a good chance of turning the buggy
and my family out. I led them over the
bridge and got in again and drove about
half way from Judd's to the Bishop's when
my off horse nearly fell down. I got out
again and found that the team was again
off the road and the horse had slipped in
endeavoring to go off the grade. Got in
the road and started again. Had not gone
far before my other horse nearly fell down.
Did not get out but turned to the right and
when I got it about where I thought the
road was, started on again. I was walking
very slowly for fear I might run off a
small bridge a short distance west of the
Bishop's. As I was driving, not knowing
what minute I might upset the buggy and
turn my wife and children out, a flash of
lightning came and I saw that I was just
at the bridge and about to cross all right.
It was twenty minutes to ten when I
reached the Bishop's and I had been over
an hour coming about three miles. After
I got my team in the barn and wife and
children to bed I got a lantern and started
out to walk about three-quarters of a mile
to see if mother and Sister Hale had reach-
ed his place in safety. I found they had
not come, so we went to Brother Wrath-
all's and woke him up, and got the team
he had come from Quincy with. When we
reached Brotner Woolley's we learned that
the folks were in his house safe and sound.
B
A Lover of Recreation
esides Church, family, and busi-
ness, Father had many other in-
terests. As a young man he had
played baseball until his ambition
of being on a championship team
was reached. After his marriage
there are occasional references to an
informal game, such as the entry of
March 21, 1881:
Monday, played baseball until dinner
time. Dinner with Brother Gowans. Took
the train for Salt Lake.
His journal reveals that he went
to the theater whenever he could,
sometimes when he could see only a
fraction of the play although he
seldom gave the name of the play.
Among the plays he mentions are:
"A Man of the People," "The Bank-
er's Daughter," "Rosedale," and
"Under the Gas Lights."
He liked to shoot with his friends;
he admired fine horses, and he owned
one. A few paragraphs show this
picture:
Saturday, December 25. Christmas. Met
Clayton and Jos. Barlow at office. Went to
shooting gallery with them — waxed them
both. Spent the afternoon at Mother String-
ham's. Evening attended the theater,
"Pique," by Home Dramatic Co.
Wednesday, February 9. Office all day.
Apostle Lyman called. Mrs. E. I. Young
sent Grant and Clayton some oysters. Eve-
ning went to Jake Heusser's shooting gal-
lery with Morgan Grant, J. F. Wells, and
N. W. Clayton and "did some consider-
able shooting." The last five shots were
for an oyster supper. J. F. W. lost. Had
oysters at Jim Dinwoodey's.
Monday, January 24. Stopped over night
with Geo. Atkin. Spent a pleasant evening
talking. Geo. Jr. played a waltz and schot-
tish and his sister and I danced.
Wednesday, Mar. 9. Bank all day. At-
tended an entertainment in Social Hall in the
evening. It was for the benefit of the 18th
Ward new meeting house and Sunday
School. Farce of "My Wife's Bonnet,"
and operetta in two acts, "A Capital Joke."
Performance was a good one.
Wednesday, March 30. Took the 5:05
train for my brother Hyrum's to get my
horse, Frank Rand. We left Woods Cross
at 7 o'clock. About a mile from my broth-
er's house the horse became frightened at a
fire in the road and ran at a lively rate with
us for about one-eighth of a mile, broke the
front spring of the buggy, but as it was quite
dark we did not discover it until the next
morning. Brother Clayton and I certainly
had cause to be thankful that the spring
had not come down on us . . . We traveled
about nine and a half miles after the accident.
Wednesday, April 13. I took a buggy
THE NATIVE BLOOD
764
( Continued from page 723 )
Eltceesie, with her long full skirt
indispensable to the modest nature
of every Navajo girl, glided nim-
bly through the brush in spite of
this hobbling handicap. Nature had
given her feet and limbs to run, it
had given her hands and heart to
work on and on and on with never
a thought of quitting till the task
was finished. Her sun-faded hair,
tied in a little bob at the back of
her head with a cotton string, and
her black velvet shirt, were a proud
part of her necessary appearance.
Her round, childish face was the
most pleasing feature in all Peejo's
dreary vision of brush and sand.
From the monotony of gray hills
and dry ravines his eyes wandered
ever back to hers as the one relief
in the heartless landscape. With
the blood of game ancestors in his
boyish veins, he scorned to let the
little shepherdess even dream he
was still weak from fighting with
the monster which had destroyed
his father's family. It was the red
pulse of splendid invincibility and
nothing else that was bringing him
slowly back to his former fitness.
He should have been resting still
on the sheepskin by the fire. But not
he — not Peejo to sit meekly where
Yoinsnez could frown the same
hateful challenge he had frowned
at Husteele because he knew Hus-
teele was a better man than he
himself!
[To be Continued)
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THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
Portrait of a Young Man
ride in evening. . . . While riding we met
Thos. W. Jennings, and his friend Henry
Tribe from Ogden. Thomas had his $500.00
horse. We gave him a little trot; found no
difficulty in walking away with his "fast
or high stepper."
In looking over Father's letter
books of 1880 and 1881, I find more
personal letters to his cousin, An-
thony W. Ivins, than to any one
else. Despite their living so far
apart they kept in close touch with
one another. In one of these letters
he speaks of his horse:
September 24, 1881
Dear Cousin Tony:
I received yours of the 19th inst. yes-
terday. Pleased to learn that you are all
well. With the exception of slight coughs
we are well. I certainly hope you will find
that mine you are hunting for. I would not
object to having you locate a few hundred
thousand feet for me, provided of course
that none of the ore went less than the
piece you assayed. I must confess I have
never had much faith in mines, but then
I had unbounded faith in Vinegar Works,
and I trust for your sake that I shall not
be as badly off on mines as I have been
in vinegar.
You wrote me that you expected to visit
Salt Lake in October. Have you given up
coming? The Fair starts next Monday
week. Come along, old boy, I am sure you
will live just as long if you should stop
hard work long enough to make a visit.
There is going to be a race between my
horse and three others, October 6. Should
like to have you see it. Hyrum made the
race while I was in Idaho.
Driving Park Association gives the first
horse $50; the second horse $50. Each horse
puts up $50, all to go to the first horse.
Hyrum is living on the track, works the
horse night and morning. He feels confi-
dent of success. The horse ran away with
him in a sulky about ten days ago and if
he had not had presence of mind enough
to drop the lines and throw his weight on
the sulky-wheel which was in the air, he
might have got a broken neck, leg, or some-
thing else, I am almost afraid that that horse
will kill someone before he gets off my
hands.
Lucy sends love to yourself and Libbie,
and all her friends and relatives.
With best wishes for yourself and all
of the folks, I remain, your cousin,
H. J. Grant
The following entry shows that
Father took his part in other types
of activity:
Monday, July 4. At 10 o'clock went to
the meeting house with family. The fol-
lowing program was carried out: Singing,
■choir; prayer, Ben Chaplin and Thos. Lee,
Sr.; singing, E. Bowman and assistants;
reading of the Declaration of Independence,
H. J. Grant; oration by Lysander Gee;
Declamation, Shamus O'Brien, H. J. Grant;
song, H. S. Gowans; speech, John Row-
berry; singing, E. Bowman and assistants,
and music by Martial Band was interspersed
between speeches. Ben Chaplin, T. A. At-
kins, Sr.
(Continued on page 767)
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766
ACROSS
1 Work
7 The wife successively of two sons
of Judah Gen. 38: 6
12 "And he wrote . . . the tables"
13 "which I command thee ... day"
15 "The Lord is on my . . ."
16 The true olives
18 He shows trained skill
20 The one river of Palestine
22 "which I speak . . . your ears"
23 "Hear, O Israel, . . . statutes"
25 "Israel is an empty . . ." Hos.
10: 1
26 Enemy
28 "behold the ... of Canaan"
29 "all the words . . . this law"
30 Son of the eldest daughter of 33
across Gen. 19: 37
33 Nephew of Ahram Gen. 12: 5
34 "A land wherein thou shalt . . .
bread without any scarceness"
37 "then . . . men to call upon the
name of the Lord"
39 "And . . . called all Israel, and
said unto them"
41 Note; state
42 ". . . the first day of the month"
43 River (Sp.)
44 "talked with you face . . . face"
46 "I will . . . the decree"
49 ". . . it therefore in your hearts"
52 Body of mineral
54 "Ye have dwelt long enough in
. . . mount"
55 "all the words of this ... to do
them"
56 System of weights
57 Oil
Our Text from Deuteronomy is 12,
13, 15, 20, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 37,
39, 44, 46, 54, and 55 combined
DOWN
2 Game 31
3 Weaken 32
4 "as it is . . . this day" 35
5 Attendant; neath (anag.) 36
6 Goddess of healing (Teut. Myth.)
8 Animal that spoke to Balaam 38
9 Kind of glove 39
10 Bad ending 40
11 Interpret; reversed, a town of 43
Judah Josh. 15: 21 45
14 "For I know thy rebellion and thy 46
. . . neck" 47
16 Oasis (Southwestern U. S.) 48
17 Masculine name Neh. 10: 16 49
19 Daughter of Cadmus (Gr. Myth.) 50
21 Relating to certain mountains 51
24 Babylonian deity 53
27 Printer's measure 55
28 Having rounded divisions
29 Part of the Bible
Unfold
"when thou walkest . . . the way"
Article in Canaan
"The . . . hath said in his heart,
There is no God"
". . . in and possess the land"
". . . that mar the land"
"tithe all the increase of thy . . ."
Note
Attar
Pulpit
". . . for the day!"
English poet; wore (anag.)
"I have . . . the land before you"
"and with all . . . might"
Long Island
"the mother of all living"
"and, . . . , I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world"
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA, DECEMBER, 1938
PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN
(Continued from page 765)
A Friend and a Maker of
Friends
As I view the picture of Father's
life as revealed by his writing, I
am impressed by the many expres-
sions of deep gratitude for the kind-
ness of the Saints, and his appreci-
ation for the fine men who helped
him in his work. No one could have
been more solicitous than was Apos-
tle Francis M. Lyman, who preceded
him as stake president. He, more
than any other friend, realized what
it meant to Father to be called into
a strange stake to preside, for Broth-
er Lyman's home had been in Mil-
lard when a similar call had come to
him. Father tells of the wise counsel
Brother Lyman always gave him.
President Lyman advised him to be-
gin keeping a journal. He persuaded
Father to grow a beard, telling him
it would make him look older and
more dignified. Father comments
on Brother Lyman:
Sunday, Jan. 9, 1881. At 10 o'clock met
with Brother Lyman in the vestry of the
meeting house to organize the prayer
circles. Brother Lyman gave a great amount
of good instruction, asked the brethren
many questions before they could be re-
ceived in the circle. A good spirit pre-
vailed. In fact I have never attended a
meeting before in my life at which I felt
so happy and contented.
Those instructions on prayer,
briefly summarized in the "Journa^
of H. J. Grant" are well worth recall-
ing and perpetuating:
Must sustain authorities of Church and
stake.
Have fellowship with each other.
Be willing to keep commandments of the
Lord.
Must not let hard feelings come between
you — fix matter up before the sun shall go
down.
Clean, pure, and holy.
Clean in body and mind — Room clean.
No strong drink. Tobacco not to be used.
No joking, nonsense, light-mindedness, or
frivolity.
Pray in earnest — no wandering of mind.
Fill heart of him who shall pray.
Pray for each other and all Church and
local authorities.
For young people to check hoodlumism
and become prepared to hold the Priest-
hood.
Spirit of Lord much more sensitive than
we and more easily offended.
When we come properly, prayer ascends
with concentration and unity that cannot
be denied.
Do not have set form of prayer or speech,
speak the sentiments of your heart. Change
the prayers at home. Repeated over and
over family get tired. Children will drink
in the spirit of your prayers.
Refrain from anger.
Devoted to interest of education not only
in letters, art, and science but in theology.
Live to have spirit of Lord at all times,
so that prayers may be answered.
Ask God to judge. Forgive everybody,
so that you may be forgiven.
Even when Father was in his of-
fice in Salt Lake, Brother Lyman
would drop in for a brief visit, or
go to the home of Father's mother
for a meal or to spend the night.
Hugh Gowans, Thos. W. Lee,
John Rowberry, Jas. Wrathall, Bish-
ops Atkins and Hunter, and so many
others that it is scarcely fair to men-
tion names, were to the end of their
lives among Father's staunchest and
dearest friends. And he was their
friend, giving service whenever
needed. His journal of July, 1881,
records an instance:
Wednesday, July 20. Got up at 6 a, m.
and went to the office. I endeavored to
find some one going to Grantsville, as I
wished to send Sister Hunter some medi-
cine that I should have sent her while in
Tooele. Failed to find anyone so I took
the 4:55 train for Lake Point, having first
telegraphed Brother Gowans to have my
team meet me. Was met by Richard Lyman.
We drove to Grantsville, found Sister
Hunter very bad. I sat up with her until
1 a. m. Gave her medicine every hour.
She felt much better when I retired.
Father's journal shows that he at-
tended Sunday School and Mutual
almost every week. He had been in
office a month when he writes:
Sunday, November 29, E. T. City. At-
tended Sunday School and afternoon meet-
ing— also attended the Y. M. M. I. A.
in the evening. Spoke at each meeting and
at Sunday School. Spoke 25 minutes at the
afternoon meeting which was about twice
as long as I ever spoke at any one time
before in my life.
The call to be a stake president
had made a great change in Father's
life, but he put his whole soul into
the work, and from it reaped divi-
dends of joy. At the end of the first
year he writes:
The year has been one of prosperity,
health and happiness to myself and family.
I have been greatly blessed and feel truly
grateful to God for His kindness .to me and
mine. I hope to continue faithful, so as
to merit a continuation of His goodness to
me and mine.
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767
LET'S SAY IT CORRECTLY
Good is an adjective and is used to modify either nouns or
pronouns: He had a good time; she is a good girl; I feel
good about that.
Well is an adverb and is used to modify a verb; and it is also
an adjective and may modify a noun or pronoun: He did his
work well (adverb); he is well (adjective); she looks well in
that dress (adjective).
TO THE EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS OF
THE IMPROVEMENT ERA „
Dear Brethren and Sisters:
I Wish to express my appreciation to you for the splendid
reading matter that comes to the Latter-day Saints each
month in the Era, including the fine articles written by our
leaders who are inspired to give us the things we need in the
day in which we live.
May the magazine get better as it has in the past is the
sincere desire of your brother —
William H. Young,
Route No. 4, Box 310,
Tucson, Arizona.
FROM THE "FIRING LINE"
Valdemarsgade 2
Aalborg, Denmark
I think I'll take this opportunity to express the appreciation
of all the missionaries here for The Improvement Era which
we receive with much joy every month. We look forward
to its coming with much anticipation. I appreciate the help
and instructions we receive from its pages. We only wish
that we could have it translated into the Danish language so
that our Saints here could receive the same wonderful en-
couragement and instruction. Please accept our hearty con-
gratulations for the fine work you are doing. The Era is truly
"The Voice of the Church" and a "Magazine for Every Mem-
ber of the Family."
Most sincerely yours,
Don R. Christensen,
FROM ONE OF US "OUT THERE"
September 17, 1938.
Brethren:
THE program of the Church is so extensive and is moving
forward so rapidly that it is impossible to keep in
intelligent touch with it without the Era.
It is at once a necessity and inspiration.
Enclosed herewith is my check for two dollars ($2.00) for
which please renew my subscription. Please send the magazine
to my residence:
Indianapolis, Indiana.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) Ernest E. Owens.
CERTAINLY NO WORSE
Landlady: "I think you had better board elsewhere."
Boarder: "Yes, I often had."
Landlady: "Often had what?"
Boarder: "Had better board elsewhere."
<$
Politician: "Congratulate me, Dear; I got the nomination."
Wife: "Honestly!"
Politician: "Why bring that up?"
• — Selected.
GOOD TURN
Boy Scout (to elderly lady): "May I accompany you
across the street, madam?"
Elderly Lady: "Certainly, sonny. How long have you
been waiting here for somebody to take you across?"
OUT OF ORDER
Impatient Customer: "Can't you wait on me? Two pounds
of liver. I'm in a hurry."
Butcher: "Sorry, Madam, but two or three are ahead of
you. You surely don't want your liver out of order!"
NAMING THE BABY
Impatient Man (outside telephone booth) : "Can I help you
find the number you want?"
Young Woman (sweetly) : "Oh, I don't want a number.
I'm looking for a pretty name for my baby." — Selected.
-$-
Hill: "So tomorrow is your wedding anniversary. What
do you expect to get for your wife?"
Gill: "I don't know. I haven't had any offers."
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Teacher: "Who is the smartest man living?"
Pupil: "Thomas A. Edison — he invented the phonograph
and improved the radio so people would stay up all night and
use his electric light bulbs."
DAD KNOWS
"Dad, when has a man horse sense?"
"When he can say, 'nay,' my son."
FICTION NOTE
All fairy tales do not begin with, "Once upon a time;" some
begin, "I'll be working late at the office."
SOLD OUT
"I see you are always at the bottom of the class — can't you
get another place?"
"No! All the others are taken."
HOW ABOUT DURING?
"When is the best time to see Mr. Smith?"
"Well, that's hard to say. He's grouchy until he has his
lunch, and afterward he has indigestion."
^>-
First Golfer: "What is your handicap?"
Second Golfer: "A wife and eight children."
— Selected.
THE REAL BANDIT
Bob: "I hear they caught one of those hotel robbers.
Job: "That so? What hotel did he run?"
768
ft .. M
fK %.
456,280 PEOPLE
VOTED FOR KSL
and the
DESERET NEWS
The Deseret News, fostering devel-
opment of amateur entertainment,
chose KSL as the medium to publicize
a "Search for Talent Contest". In thirty
weeks, 456,280 people voted for their
favorite amateurs!
That's response! Votes came from
sixteen states and Canada. Many of
the 1 640 contestants auditioned for the
program found employment through
the contest. The Deseret News made
friends. The program provided enter-
tainment.
So successful was the program idea,
that the Deseret News now continues
the "Search for Talent" on a larger
scale than ever before. Both profes-
sionals and amateurs compete. Utah's
progressive afternoon newspaper offers
cash, a trip to Hollywood and other
honors for contestants.
You, again, decide the winners! Tune
to the Deseret News "Search for Tal-
ent" program . . . Saturdays at 6 p. m.
Above, part of the capacity crow.d of 2400 witnessing "Search for Talent" finals in the Salt Lake t
sembly Hall. Below, amateur clarinetists play to both the visible and unseen audience as other c<
testants wait for their microphone appearance. Ralph Hardy, announcer, is standing. WUby D
ham, Deseret News program producer is seated, center, and Gene Halliday, KSL Music Direct
is seated at the extreme top.
KSL
Salt Lake City'* 50,000 Watt
Clear Channel Affiliate of
the Columbia Broadcasting
System
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COAPANT
Home Office— Beneficial Life Building. Salt Lake City, Utah
HEBER J. GRANT. RREsioent
HER J. J. GRT. ES'DE